OK, I'm going to start writing another chapter and this one might
take awhile to get done simply because I'm lazy and all that other kind of
shit. This will be going back to my typical style of action and fighting.
I just can't see my story going without action for more than a chapter.
I'm just a single style author like that. I'm glad you guys found it
surprising that Nina was a princess, I thought you all would have guessed
it.
Chapter Eight: Baptism of Fire
Ryu stretched languidly upon his down stuffed bed, with the silk sheets and the exquisitely stuffed pillow. *I should work for royalty more often.* Ryu stretched even more as he thought about this, his spine popping satisfyingly as he began to bring himself out of his slumber. A knocking on the door interrupted his morning ritual and he got to his feet in irritation. He sighed in exasperation as made his way through the opulently decorated room, the rugs feeling most comfortable beneath his feet as they thudded on the stone floor towards the door.
Ryu's sword was propped up against the all right next to the door and his new suit of armor, a silvery chain mesh, lay on a chair beside the sword. Ryu opened the door slightly to find one of the younger maids assigned to this part of the castle standing, looking demurely at the ground. *This place has it all.* She was cute, not as pretty or as voluptuous as Cizrai or Nina, but it was a start. "I'm supposed to tidy up your room now, unless of course you're busy." She said, still not looking him in the eye.
"I'm not particularly busy; come in, come in." Ryu replied quickly ushering her into the room before she could protest.
* * *
Ryu came out of the room about an hour or two later. The maid was under orders to exit after him so as to not arouse too much suspicion. Ryu was dressed in a set of clothes the King had provided him with and was in the process of belting on his sword when he saw the Knight Captain making his war towards his room. Ryu smirked slightly as he looked down at the Captain. The Windian clearly detested the job he was assigned to so Ryu rubbed it in a little as the Knight prepared yet another message or request. "So what does the Kingdom of Windia want with me today?" Ryu asked impudently as he leaned against the wall.
"They would like to know why you are spending so much time with the castle maids." He responded acerbically. Ryu laughed in response to the look on the Windian's face. Ryu gestured for him to follow as they talked, Ryu starting off with a brisk pace.
"Maids are by far the most knowledgeable people I know." The Captain snorted at this remark but Ryu kept going. "No truly, maids know all the gossip and all the information that happens to be floating around. If you want to know how the nobility are doing just ask the people cleaning up after them." Ryu explained noticing the door to his room opening and closing behind them.
"Right... Nina wishes to talk to you and the King has intimated to me that this should be your last day here. I hope I have spelled things out clearly enough for you." The Knight said in his no nonsense tenor.
"Alright, I get the picture. I'm a bad influence upon society so I should get out. I've got another job that needs taking care of anyways." Ryu replied smugly, the Knight looked thankful and Ryu just smirked as he walked away towards the upper gardens. He figured that was where Nina was seeing as that's where he had met her last time. "Oh and if you wanted to be discreet and not talk to Nina about the maids, I'd be thankful." Ryu requested as he continued walking down the long hall towards the stairs.
"Why should I cover for you?" The Knight asked, looking extremely annoyed with the request.
"'Cause she won't believe you anyways. I may happen to be a mercenary and a heartless one at that but I still like to let women have their romantic notions about me." Ryu answered in his smugly satisfied tone. The Knight snorted in disgust but he seemed to acquiesce to the request. Ryu spun around again and took the steps two at a time, anxious to meet with Nina again. *Wonder what she wants to talk about today?*
* * *
The door to the room opened and a fourth member walked into the shadowed room. The room was lit by four candles that shed a minute fraction on light onto the hooded figures standing at the four cardinal points around the table supporting the candles. Each was alike in stature and each looked with shadowed faces at the others. "Let the meeting commence." Each intoned in unison.
"Our progress has been remarkable. We have enough arms and followers prepared to wield them so as to easily defeat any forces that the King can marshal." The northern figure said as he placed his hand upon the candle directly in front of him, casting the northern part of the room into shadow.
"The army of mercenaries is currently in position to intercept any forces that may come to break the siege into the city." The eastern figure stated and put out his candle as well.
"Key guards have been bribed or replaced with our own. We have also seized key siege weapons to launch a volley into the castle itself and to make an organized resistance impossible." South claimed, putting out his candle with a slight flourish.
"The one known as Ryu will be dealt with. The King will also die before he can lead his forces." West informed the others in a quiet, almost sibilant voice. He too put out his candle and the entire room was bathed in darkness.
"And so it begins..."
* * *
"For the last time Nina, I will not take you with me when I go!" Ryu shouted to the truculent Windian, his hands gripping her firmly on the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. "Its bad for business if I just get the job done only to create the need for it to be done again. Granted I'd probably turn a tidy profit if I did that but I digress. I don't need the Windian army mad at me again." Ryu finished explaining his reasoning for the third time as he sat Nina down on a bench and he took up pacing in the garden.
It truly a lovely garden when Ryu thought about it, with patches of beautiful flowers in bloom creating a vast patchwork of colors. Great trees sprouted in intervals along the path, providing a shaded region for people to sit upon gleaming white benches. *I can understand why Nina stays in this place from dawn till dusk.* Ryu thought as he gazed up into the great tree overhead.
"Why not? You don't seem to care when the rest of the world wants you dead. Besides, you said your job was to protect me. Think of this as you protecting me from the Kingdom of Windia." Nina wheedled Ryu as she tried to get her way.
"No. My job was to get you here unscathed and I'm not going to take another job to get you out of here in case that's what you're thinking. Why do you want to leave so badly anyways?" Ryu asked, beginning to lose his temper here in the ideal environs.
"I just don't like it here. My father keeps telling me that I'm supposed to help my people and the world in which we live but then he stifles me up inside this castle waiting until he can find some fop to marry me off to. That's not helping people! That's just a waste of time! That's why I ran off, I just wanted to get the hell away from here!" Nina ranted, getting all worked up about the injustices of life and how her father was a hypocrite and blah blah blah. Ryu quit paying attention and just started undressing her in his mind.
"Ryu... Ryu!" Nina shouted his name and he snapped out of his reverie. "So, what do you think?" Ryu had no idea what he thought.
"I agree with you in principal but disagree in practice." Ryu said in non-committal fashion. If you don't know what's going on, always remain neutral. Nina's face went slack and her eyes seemed crestfallen as she lost what she thought of as her staunchest ally. And perhaps Ryu was her staunchest ally. *A sad thought, now that I think about it.* Ryu pondered amusedly.
His eyes had been staring with unfocused sight upon a fluffy white cloud drifting lazily in the distance. It kind of looked like a dragon if his head was turned just right. The cloud that looked like a dragon was immediately ripped apart and set adrift as a confederation of loosely affiliated clouds by a giant neon green explosion launched from some part in the city. "Nina, look out over there. Is there some sort of celebration planned?" Ryu asked his eyes focusing harder upon the still burning flare. Nina turned around and focused upon the same mark in the otherwise pristine blue sky.
"I don't know..." Nina trailed off as more flares began to erupt in the brilliant blue sky. Ryu tore his eyes away from the sky and looked down upon the streets of Werzingrad. People began to pour out of their houses and into the streets of the city, all converging upon the castle.
"Ah shit." Ryu muttered aloud as he lamented his loss of relative peace. He didn't need to be thrown into a civil war, especially not when he just wanted to get some rest. Now he was likely to be drafted by one of the sides and he would rather they both kill each other upon this God forsaken floating rock. "Nina I'd suggest returning to your room." Ryu said, feeling the stirrings of a headache just beginning to be felt.
"Why should I go back to my room? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Nina fired back, crossing her legs and leaning back on the bench content to stay right where she was. A great fireball arced over the side lip of the platform hoisting up the garden. It traveled majestically over head before crashing into the center of the garden, bathing the flowers and trees in fire.
"That's why! Now go dammit!" Ryu shouted at the shocked Windian. Ryu didn't wait to see if she complied, he was going to have some long words with whoever it was that decided to ruin his vacation from fighting. *Isn't that just the way life works out? The one time I don't feel any compunction to slaughter a whole mess of Windians is the day they have a fucking civil war!* Ryu thought as he pulled his sword out. More bales of pitch and naphtha exploded into the garden, saturating the place with fire. An occasional bale erupted close to Ryu but he simply walked forward, trying to figure out why they were attacking the garden first. Well, maybe not first but why they attacked it at all. It wasn't an easily defendable position nor was it particularly strategic. The denizens of the castle couldn't use it to escape and no one of any real importance... Nina. The people were trying to kill Nina or at least trap her there. *Ah shit.* Ryu thought clutching his head again as yet another matter was added to his headache.
"Alright fate, this is how it's gonna work out. I'm going to flip a coin: heads I rush back to save Nina or tails, I remain neutral and kill anyone who makes it their business to be killed by me. Ready, here goes." Ryu flipped the coin and watch it go end over end finally finishing its flight in his gauntleted palm. Ryu had caught the coin with a closed fist and now he opened his hand, almost like a flower opening its petals wanting to drink in the sweet light of the sun. "Tails. Sorry Nina, that's just the way fate works." Ryu said in a 'them's the brakes fashion' as he strolled into the hallway next to the garden.
Sounds of swords clashing together and people dying and bellowing in the fight. *Guess I better get my armor.* Ryu thought as he moved down along the hall watching as frightened servants and troops rushed through the hall going this way and that. Ryu finally reached his room and stepped in to grab his new armor. Inside the room was deceptively quiet and Ryu grabbed his sword in anticipation.
"I'm glad I came back here." A voice from Ryu's side emerged and caused Ryu to turn and face it. It was the same Royal Knight who had been hounding Ryu all along.
"What, trying to recruit me into fighting your battles? I think not." Ryu said, turning his back on the Knight and reaching over to grab his armor.
"I didn't come to recruit you. I came to kill you for bringing this upon us!" He exclaimed, lunging towards Ryu. Before the Knight had any real chance to attack he had been decapitated by Ryu in one lighting swipe. Blood fountained up from the wood spraying the carpet and Ryu's legs with the crimson substance.
"Lousy knights." Ryu spat as he pulled his armor up over his head and onto the undershirt required for the chain mesh. Next came the black leather jerkin that had some white gold tooled into it for added effect. Ryu re-sheathed his sword across his back and walked out of the door. More troops were storming down the halls but these were different from the traditional Knights of the castle. These looked like guerilla troops, that theory even more firmly reinforced by the red bands tied around their heads or arms to distinguish them from the other Knights, seeing as their color was blue. "You must be the revolutionaries." Ryu said, planting himself firmly in the center of the hall, preventing them from passing. "Congratulations, for today only have I got a deal for you. I have deigned to withdraw myself from neutrality." Ryu announced, beaming at the five warriors before him. They smiled to, glad to hear that a potentially dangerous enemy would now become a powerful ally. "Unfortunately, I'm on my side." Ryu added that little qualifier in there just as he drew his sword and swiftly impaled the guerilla directly in front of him.
Ryu ripped the sword out of the man's torso and turned it upon the two assailants on his left going low and cutting the legs out from underneath one and rising up to cleave through the arm and torso of the second. Ryu reversed himself and planted his foot on the wall and pushing off to gain momentum on his second wave of attacks. He parried a clumsy attack and crushed the man's skull with his backswing. Ryu ducked under the thrust by the last guerilla and brought his still trailing sword horizontally through the man's stomach, cutting him in two. Ryu let the force of the swing carry him full circle before stopping and sheathing his sword. Ryu rotated his neck out and sighed a little as his muscles loosened up. Ryu moved swiftly down the hall, searching for the stairwell to carry him towards the main hall or some other exit.
His feet inexorably carried him forward, his sword out and covered with blood. He didn't encounter any more soldiers from either side but the sounds of their struggle reverberated throughout the stone walls. At last Ryu hit the main floor of the castle and a brutal melee writhed around him as insurgents and knights alike hacked each other apart in a grim dance of steel and blood. Ryu could feel a smile twitching at the side of his lips as he looked around at the carnage. Ryu wasted no time in hurling himself into the thick of things cutting apart those who stood before him. Swords hit the ground, the owner's arm still attached followed by the body of the man who owned both arm and sword. Blood drenched the flagstones as rank upon rank joined the dead in their soundless screams.
Adrenaline coursed through Ryu's veins as something awoke within him. His eyes took on a luminous quality as the battle raged on. Guerilla, knight, large, small, the strong, the dexterous, all were equal when faced with the steel of his sword. The fight continued behind him but Ryu pushed onward, searching for the leaders of this insurgence. In his haste he hurled himself into the chapel. A great statue of Myria stood with a radiant stained glass backdrop depicting the coming morn. Great columns inlaid with beaten gold were spaced out evenly among the great hall. Seated in prayer at one of the pews was a man clothed in large brown trench coat. Ryu's eyes bored into the man's back, sensing something not right about this man sitting calmly with his back to him.
"Good morning Ryu." The praying man greeted Ryu, his voice soft yet forceful. He stood up slowly, revealing a height as great as Ryu's as he turned slowly to face him. His features were cast into shadows by the hat he wore and his hands were enveloped in the comfort of his sleeves. Ryu gripped his sword more tightly as he prepared himself for the coming fight. "I'm Sellaving. Just in case you wanted to know the name of your murderer that is." Sellaving said in his soft voice, his arm suddenly moving to eye level and jerking back as a large steel bolt erupted from the shadows of his sleeve, aiming straight for Ryu.
Ryu sidestepped the projectile and dashed forward bringing his sword up in the process hoping to cut the man down before the fight could drag out two long. The man was quick however, quicker than Ryu had anticipated and his sword was caught between two, slightly curved, short swords. Since his sword was caught low his position was rather precarious since Sellaving's swords were on top and fully capable of moving in for the strike. Sellaving picked up on that too and moved his swords forward almost too fast for Ryu to react to. Ryu shifted his sword to a vertical position holding the weapons at bay before pushing the other mercenary off him and into one of the pews.
Ryu pushed his attack onward and prepared an overhead cleave of his victim. All Sellaving had time to do was roll out of the way as Ryu clove through the sturdy wooden bench. Ryu ripped his blade sideways to catch the attack of the mercenary before swiveling the sword in a defensive arc to block the second attack. Ryu lashed out with his foot, connecting with the other man and knocking him backward. Ryu thrust forward trying again to finish the fight by transfixing his opponent upon his sword.
Sellaving had desired this strike from the beginning it seemed as he deftly rolled under the thrust and pierced Ryu neatly through the rib cage with his left short sword. Ryu backhanded the triumphant Sellaving knocking him to the ground and then watched as he slide across the smooth marble floors. Ryu put his hand leadenly on the sword and started to pull the blade out of his side. His breathing was labored since the sword had punctured his lung. But even as the world swam around him he could feel his body working to heal itself in its time of need. Ryu jerked upon the sword but it was caught on his bone. The blade was serrated to make exiting difficult. Ryu gritted his teeth as he set himself for the pain that was about to come up.
Sellaving had been staring at Ryu this entire time which Ryu thought was a little odd. *Why isn't he taking advantage of this?* Ryu thought through a pain wracked mind. Ryu looked deep into the eyes of his enemy and the reflection that greeted him chilled him to the bone even as the environment around him heated up. Ryu didn't even bother to turn around as the glass shattered behind him. Time slowed down for the mercenary as he stood, hand on the sword impaled inside of him. The statue behind him suddenly burst into flames as it was soaked in the pitch launched via catapult. The burning rain enveloped the area, lighting upon Ryu delicately, almost like butterfly wings before the force of the impact knocked Ryu to the ground, burying him under a blanket of fire.
* * *
Sellaving walked casually out of the burning cathedral, almost strutting in his pleasure of the situation. Here he was, the slayer of the great Ryu. The invincible man had been killed by none other than Sellaving. Sellaving took in a deep breath, almost exultantly. "I've never cared for the smell of pitch before but I think I could get to like it." He mused to himself as he strolled along. He eventually came into the King's Hall and found many of the rebel soldiers standing about, catching some rest after a fierce stint at fighting. The old King lay dead on the floor, his back to the throne as he had died trying to escape. Merudar was standing roughly in the center of the hall, his armor gleaming in the torchlight. Several of his elite troops were clustered around him, putting on a show of force. Sarcenos was sitting indolently in the King's Throne, his fingers steeped as he look speculatively across the room. "Where's Gerard?" Sellaving asked of the two as he entered the room.
"He's off hunting Nina." Merudar replied while he was still looking at his map of the castle. One of his advisors gesturing where there were still pockets of resistance. "Sellaving, if you don't mind would you take the flag and unfurl it at the watch tower?" Merudar asked as he looked up from his map and brought at the furled piece of cloth. Sellaving shrugged and took the flag and headed towards the central staircase leading up to the tower. It was going to be a long climb up.
* * *
Those who say the last moments of life are spent viewing memories that sum up the entirety of the life you lived are lying to you. The last sight before your eyes is the taunting face of death. The only thing you can see is the leering face of your failure, clawing at your eyes, reminding you an infinite number of times how you died and what you could have done to prevent it. Hindsight seems so simple to the dying man. Everything could have been easily averted if only he had this or that..
Ryu could feel his skin begin to melt off in the intense heat. He writhed in unimaginable pain as the fire bathed him in its ferocity. The skin that fell off was replaced by fresh, healed over patches of flesh cooling the pain Ryu had felt only to be torn away by unsatisfied fires. Ryu's breath came out in bits and spurts as the smoke and ash robbed him of the sweet balm of air. His eyes were glazed over by the heat, open to a world with nothing in except the red heat of suffering. Ryu curled up into a fetal position, trying to find some sort of succor amid the raging torrent around him.
As he lay, rocking back and forth the fire caressed him with its barbed glove, leaving streaks of pain in its wake. His heart grew louder in his ears beating faster and faster. A vice had clamped down upon his lungs, crushing them beneath its iron claws. Ryu struggled for breath amidst bed of fire as his heart thundered inside his head, thrashing to release itself from the tormented husk it was trapped in. With one final beat his heart grew silent. The vice on his lungs snapped and became impotent. The fires were no longer an intense heat but a mild comfort bringing him a last moment of peace. Ryu's world grew dark and tranquil.
* * *
Nina rushed down the hall, knocking over platforms and small pedestals with priceless artwork placed atop them in her haste. She didn't know who it was that hunted her but he was immune to any kind of magic that he threw at her. Her most powerful spells were as harmless as raindrops upon cloaked Windian. Nina saw that this hall ended room that she wasn't sure had an exit. Normal Windians might have been able to escape the trap she had knowingly entered. She flung the door open and closed it just as quickly taking a solid gold torch off of the wall and placed it between the handles, hoping that it would be enough to stop him. The room was nothing more than a black hole, despite the hour of the day, usually used as a study by visiting royalty. Nina used that last bit of her energy to hurl a small spell at one of the windows, shattering it to pieces. She may not have been able to fly but he might not know that. Nina quickly dove under a desk and hugged her knees to her chest as she waited for him to enter. She heard a sharp thud on the door and closed her eyes in fear, her body shaking.
*I wish Ryu was here.*
* * *
Ryu's heart began to beat again suddenly. A bit of life had entered into his body again and with that so did the pain. His heart began to throb in a mixture of joy and pain, beating at an accelerated rate as if to make up for lost time. The pain was no longer relegated to his outside however, now it coursed through his veins. His chest thrust forward in excitement at the prospect of living again, all too happy to breathe the sweet air in again. But with each beat of the heart, each new wave of blood coursing through his body brought forth new pain. The fire was a lover's embrace compared to this. The heart beat faster and the lungs clamped tighter. No air was coming in to fuel this rate of living but air was immaterial to his new life. All he needed to live now was pain.
His body jerked into a spread eagle position, muscles clenching and unclenching in their remembered freedom. Vision shot back into his eyes as well as his other senses. The world was vibrant with everything once more. The smell and sensation of fire were nothing like he had ever experience before. The softest silk, the finest perfume paled in comparison to what he felt now. The blood flowing through him brought with it new life devoid of pain. The pressure upon his lungs had snapped allowing breath to enter his lungs. The acrid smoke which once sent him to his needs was a soothing balm upon his pain wracked body. The air that came in, no matter how tainted brought an unprecedented health to his body.
Ryu propped himself up to a sitting position and looked around the world that greeted him. The once golden columns had been melted down into great puddles opulence. The statue of Myria was surrounded by an aura of fire which burned continuously upon the stone flesh of the Goddess. Myria's eyes seemed almost alive and glared down upon him with malevolence beyond what humans were capable of. Ryu shoved himself off the ground and stood upon newly formed legs. His leather pants scorched and worn but still clinging to his body. His chain shirt still hung upon his chest but the garment worn over it was nothing more than the ashes strewn on the ground or in his hair.
Ryu clenched his fist reveling in the strength that had been given to him by death. Sellaving's sword was still embedded in his side, Ryu grinned, almost ashamed to remove it. The weapon had been part of his rebirth, part of what made him into this new form. Ryu gripped it and pulled it out to find it accompanied by a small river of blood that quickly closed up. Ryu's sword was still clamped in his hand, the muscles refusing to relinquish the blade. Ryu inhaled deeply the air around him; the smoke and ash, sweet incense to him as he looked around the rest of the chapel. The short sword in his hand reminded him of what he wanted to do right now. *What a time to be alive.* Ryu thought as he strode out of the burning cathedral.
Ryu strode down the hall, his footsteps echoing on the hard stone floor. The rest of the castle was completely silent, the sounds of fighting and dying were elsewhere in the world. A set of wooden doors, bound in iron, stood before him barring him from passing. Regardless of whether or not the doors may have been locked Ryu kicked it down, sending it sliding across the floor grating upon the ears of any who heard it. Ryu walked into the hall looking at the surprise and fear in the eyes of the soldiers clustered there. One man sat in the King's throne, the rightful owner of that piece of metonymy lay dead at the foot of it.
The soldiers quickly got over their fear and charged the searching Ryu. *Sellaving is not here. I suppose these will do for now.* Ryu thought looking at the troops amassing before him. Probably a score of guerillas had set themselves against him. Without hesitation, Ryu hurled the shortsword straight at one of the troops, piercing through the thick plate armor protecting him. Ryu rushed after the projectile as soon as it had left his hands, staying close behind it. The blade hit seconds before Ryu ripped it out and brought it in a wide arc, cutting through a surprised soldier's neck. Ryu thrust in the opposite direction with his sword impaling another shocked guerilla and three lay dead before they had moved an inch. Ryu ripped his sword out as the man fell and clove through the hastily brought up weapon, and the man holding it feebly. A man charged at him and Ryu slammed his elbow straight into the throat of the man, crushing it beneath the colliding forces.
The men began to swarm Ryu, each stabbing with ineffectual weapons. Ryu thrashed about him in a controlled rage. His swords darting in and out of his opponents mailed bodies.
One last soldier stood before Ryu and fell to his knees, his sword broken tying to block an attack from Ryu. "Please don't kill..." The last words of his plea were silence by Ryu's sword. The soldier's head rolled across the ground, still inside its helm of embossed steel. Ryu looked to the man still sitting indolently in his throne. His feet now propped upon the dead King's body.
"Congratulations my angry friend, you are now able to kill grunts. But how will you fare against one of my talents?" He taunted, his voice almost nasal as he leered down at Ryu. The man jerked his hand suddenly preparing to launch a spell before Ryu could react. But Ryu did react, his sense picking up on the nature of this man's "talents." Ryu hurled the serrated shortsword straight at the sorcerer's upturned hand, the blade piercing the flesh and sinking into the wood behind it. "Ahhh!" The man cried out in agony, his voice no longer carrying the arrogance it had earlier possessed.
Ryu walked slowly up the steps to the throne and the whimpering man now in possession of Sellaving's sword. The man was cringing in terror, his body curled into a fetal position, except his hand and the arm it was attached to. Ryu grabbed the sword and jerked it out of the throne and hand, the man let out another pitiful wail and whimpered some more. "Please don't hurt me!" He pleaded, looking at the serrated blade that had his own blood slowly dripping off it. "I'll pay you whatever you want, just don't hurt me!" He wailed out, his voice reaching another octave in his fright.
Ryu grabbed the man by his throat and lifted him off the throne and into the air, his feet dangling about a foot off the ground. "This isn't about money. Where's Sellaving?" Ryu asked, his face mere inches away from the shuddering man.
"He's in the watch tower, getting ready to unfurl our flag." The frightened sorcerer said, his voice loud and nasal, even when Ryu was inches away. The whimpering fop refused to look at Ryu but insisted upon keeping his face averted. Ryu threw the man back into the ornate chair, rocking backward as it received the loathsome burden. Ryu's eyes shot down to what was beside the throne, a staff entwined with gold. Ryu bent down to pick it up and weighed it in his hands before looking at the sorcerer cradling his hand.
"Is this yours?" Ryu asked the man, a smirk playing across his features.
* * *
Sellaving finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs leading to the top of the watchtower. He looked down below to find some patches of the Royal Knights entrenched in the streets, still fighting the rebel forces. Well, regardless of whether or not the Royal Knights were able to turn back the rebels their leaders were dead or in the process of being killed leaving them as nothing more than a chicken with its head cut off.
Sellaving sighed in annoyance as he began pulling on the rope to bring the old flag down. "They could've at least sent one of the regular soldiers up here to do this." Sellaving thought bitterly as he untied the old flag from the rope and let it drift to the ground.
"But then you wouldn't have had as long to live." Sellaving heard someone's voice directly behind him and he turned to look around and saw something that made him drop the weapon he had pulled out mid-spin. Ryu was standing alive, battered and ash covered, but still alive. But this time something about his eyes were different. They glowed in the darkness of the room and his pupils were no longer circular but two vertical slits grinning at him with feral intensity. "You forgot this." He said with an almost compassionate air. Sellaving was perplexed however, he didn't really know what Ryu was talking about. His questions were soon cleared up by the appearance of his shortsword flying towards him. Sellaving would have liked to move but his feet were rooted to the spot by his own fear. His eyes were crossed when the sword embedded itself in him. He was alive long enough to see the skewered blade quiver slightly at the force of the impact.
* * *
Merudar had grown impatient waiting for Sellaving to finish his job. "I should have just sent a soldier up." He muttered under his breath, scanning the watchtower. He had seen the old flag float to the ground but the new one had yet to come up. His elite troops were making their way through the courtyard, finishing up the loyal troops still fighting, only two of his personal guards were still standing by him. Merudar spat at the ground in disgust, a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Sir, something's just gone up the flag pole. I can't tell what it is though." One of his guards said looking up at the sky, shielding his eyes with his hand. The day had progressed quickly, it was dusk by now, the sun obscuring the tower almost entirely.
Merudar responded to the comment by pulling out his collapsible telescope. He trained it upon the watchtower receiving some sun glare for his troubles. After a few moments of focusing a grisly sight came into view. The "flag" suspended from the pole was Sellaving's body, twisting fitfully in the wind. "Holy shit." Merudar said, awe and horror entering into his voice. "C'mon troops, we've got to find out who the hell did that." Merudar said to the five elites in the immediate vicinity. "Lieutenant, you're in charge." He finished his orders and dashed into the castle's anteroom.
Everything was in order here, no troops present but they were already outside or patrolling more dangerous areas. Merudar and his other troops moved quickly but carefully down the long hall towards the King's Hall. The large doors stood before him still closed, but Sarcenos and a score of troops were holding it so Merudar wasn't too worried. Merudar opened the doors to the hall and looked in, the sight before him caused him to blanch along with his guards. The score of troops had been cut down horrifically and Sarcenos had been impaled into the throne. "Gods above." One of his guards whispered, the sentiment shared by the others.
Merudar walked down the hall carefully, his eyes scanning the recesses of the columns to see if the murderer still lurked here. "First Sellaving was killed, and now Sarcenos, who the hell is this guy?" Another of his guards asked as he peered down at the dead bodies. Merudar had reached the throne and looked at the object holding Sarcenos in place, it was his staff, but it had been broken in two and stabbed into each of his lungs. Merudar fought the urge to vomit and turned back to his guards.
"We don't know if it was only one person. It's more likely that a squad of Royal Knights had come through and done this." Merudar said, trying to allay his own fears along with those of his troops. Some of his guards nodded but one looked speculatively down at the bodies.
"I hate to tell people when they're wrong but it just happens that they are so often mistaken." A voice commented from behind Merudar. He turned sharply in response, pulling out his battle axe and shifting the shield on his left arm as he pivoted. A tall man was leaning against one of the pillars nonchalantly. A sword hilt poking over his shoulder and blue hair coming down his forehead, an ash covered chain shirt glittered in the torch light. Merudar took all of his features in a moment but the eyes held him paralyzed. The eyes glowed green from the shadow of his face, captivating and frightening the insurgents at the same time. "You see, I killed those people, probably in the same fashion that I'll kill you." The strange man continued laughing slightly.
"You must be mad!" Merudar said incredulously, one man against twenty crack troops and one sorcerer, even with the element of surprise it was ludicrous.
"I'm not so much mad as I am idiosyncratic." He replied smirking as he stepped off the column and walked towards the troops, his sword still in place. "Tell you what, I won't fight the other guys, it'll just be between two leaders of men." He added, looking inquisitively at Merudar. Merudar thought about it and nodded slightly, still unsure of what to make of this man. "Splendid, I'll just set things up." He finished, gesturing to Merudar's guards.
What came next surprised everyone except the green eyed man. The guards, began to claw at their skin as it splintered and bled suddenly, almost like they were roasting from the inside. Steam issued forth from the new crevices in the flesh and blood seeped out of eyes and nostrils as the collapsed to the ground, their bodies contorting into unnatural positions. Merudar's eyes widened in surprise and he turned his vision upon the expectant psychotic. The strange man's look faltered somewhat and he looked at Merudar questioningly. "What is it? Aren't you ready?" He was very solicitous and yet he had tortured those men in inconceivable ways. He masqueraded as the soul of gentility and yet he had killed so many so brutally.
"Who are you?" Merudar asked, anger and fear coating his words.
"I'm hurt that you don't know, I mean, you guys were the ones who killed me." He responded in a rather hurt tone. Realization dawned upon Merudar. Ryu. The man standing before him was none other than the one Sellaving had killed. But here he was alive. Did Sellaving kill him at all? But he did say he had been killed. Nothing made sense anymore and Merudar prepared himself to run but Ryu caught hold of him, his hands grasping each side of his helm firmly. "I'd say this was a lesson but you can't profit from any knowledge you gain right before death. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." Ryu bantered, his hands tightening upon Merudar's skull.
* * *
Nina huddled even tighter underneath the desk even though the man hunting her had come and gone. She was still too afraid to leave her place of shelter. Everything that had happened, finding her father dead in the throne room, despite how much she had despised him she had never wanted him to die. *And now look at things. My kingdom is in shambles, people who aren't even Windians are fighting to kill me and no one's alive except me.* Nina began to cry again, hot tears slowly ran down her cheeks in a silent plea for help.
* * *
Ryu strolled down the halls, whistling a tune he vaguely remembered hearing. Life before the fire seemed a little hazy, some things were bright and clear, like Sellaving. But others taunted him from the security of the shadows. Ryu was strolling down a long hall, his nose telling him that something was down there, something familiar. As he past by a mirror his eyes were arrested by what they saw.
Ryu had expected his eyes to look like those of the ones he had killed. His eyes looked back at him with gangrel delight, the round pupils of the Windians and humans replaced by two vertical slits. Something stirred inside of him. A memory of his prior life, or perhaps it was his death. Two eyes like his own had looked down at him with love, paternal in nature and very comforting to his soul. A word sprung up in his mind and came to the forefront of his thoughts, overshadowing everything that had stood before it.
"Dragon."
Ryu's musing were cut short however, a strange man had appeared behind him and slammed him hard into the mirror before him, the shards of glass ripping up his face. The man behind him lifted him up again and threw him into the stone wall causing his nose to break. The third man was about to lift him up a third time Ryu slammed his forehead into the face of his unknown assailant. Ryu's vision cleared up after he blinked once or twice and his nose cracked back into place along with the shards of glass hitting the stone floor beneath him.
The man before him was clothed completely in white. The radiance of the cloth caused Ryu's pupils to contract slightly despite the darkness. The man brought his fists up defensively and squared off against Ryu. Ryu brought back his right fist and threw a simple yet effecting punch. The man had tried to block but it came too quickly. Ryu's fist connected with the man's chest and carried him forward and to the wall. Flesh and bone gave way beneath the force of the blow followed by the organs beneath it. The man's eyes flew up in pain and surprise, his strong body failing him for the first time in his life.
Ryu let the body fall as blood billowed up from the wound and down the sides of the man's mouth. Ryu had almost let the sudden bit of rage consume him completely but had let it end with that single punch. "No one gets a cheap shot on Ryu." Ryu said to the now dead man. Ryu turned on his foot, following the familiar scent towards the end of the hall. He had reached the door, the scent caressing his nostrils. The feelings it aroused in him both twofold. On one side he was pleased by the scent, it reminded him of something that lurked just beyond, it was a woman and a Windian at that. The other part was one of bitter hatred, a bound rage that was very close to breaking loose at the sight of the girl. It was with a confused heart that Ryu opened the door, except it was barred. *No matter." Ryu thought, lifting his foot and kicking it in, a metallic snap greeting him.
* * *
Nina jumped at the sound of the door crashing open. Much to her dismay she jumped too much and her head hit the top of the desk eliciting a yelp of pain from her. She peered around the corner of the desk and saw what she had been sorely anticipating this entire time. It was Ryu. He stood there with the semi-light creating an aura around him. She almost cried for joy as she crawled out from underneath the desk and ran to him. But before she could reach him, something inside of her stopped her cold in her tracks.
Nina was confused, she wanted to run to him, to thank him for saving her from this trapped room but something inside of her held her back. Ryu seemed to be struggling with something inside of him as well, his eyes glowed brighter in darkness. *Glowed? Ryu's eyes never glowed.* Nina thought, knowing for sure that something was wrong here. Ryu's right hand went for something in the shadow of his arm and when it re-emerged it was holding something, something that glinted off the muted light coming from the hall.
It was a dagger, she saw it clearly now, here eyes widening in horror. "Ryu, what are you doing?" Nina asked bringing her hands up to defend herself. Ryu remained silent and just looked at her with those eyes of his. No, they weren't his eyes but something she dreaded more. They were vertical slits... Like a dragon's. Her horror grew in intensity and she dropped her defenses just in time for the dagger to come snaking in.
Nina felt a sharp pain enter her, sliding up into her heart and piercing the organ. She shut her eyes in pain and disbelief. *Ryu...* Her body was no longer supported by the dagger and she slumped to the ground, her eyes opening for the last time. She could see the dagger coated with blood, a small droplet forming on the tip and then falling to the ground. Ending its flight back in the wound from which it had come.
* * *
There we go. I'm going to hell for this, or at least everyone's going to hate me for what I've done. But you got to admit that it was unexpected and, I think, unprecedented. This certainly goes along with my previous pattern of Ryu's evil, he keeps getting worse in worse from just killing a ranger to then killing the whole group and now culminating with Nina. Does it ever end? By the way, I was listening to some Duran Duran and Yellow Card while writing this so I think it's safe to say that those are bands which breed murderous intent, write your congressman today. If you have one.
Also, I know this may go over wrong with several of you but I want you all to keep on reading this story despite this chapter or perhaps because of it.
Fact of the Chapter: Did you know that the nodes of ranviar, apart from being a hard-core underground band are also a part of your brain meant to speed up messages sent from the brain along the nervous system.
Chapter Eight: Baptism of Fire
Ryu stretched languidly upon his down stuffed bed, with the silk sheets and the exquisitely stuffed pillow. *I should work for royalty more often.* Ryu stretched even more as he thought about this, his spine popping satisfyingly as he began to bring himself out of his slumber. A knocking on the door interrupted his morning ritual and he got to his feet in irritation. He sighed in exasperation as made his way through the opulently decorated room, the rugs feeling most comfortable beneath his feet as they thudded on the stone floor towards the door.
Ryu's sword was propped up against the all right next to the door and his new suit of armor, a silvery chain mesh, lay on a chair beside the sword. Ryu opened the door slightly to find one of the younger maids assigned to this part of the castle standing, looking demurely at the ground. *This place has it all.* She was cute, not as pretty or as voluptuous as Cizrai or Nina, but it was a start. "I'm supposed to tidy up your room now, unless of course you're busy." She said, still not looking him in the eye.
"I'm not particularly busy; come in, come in." Ryu replied quickly ushering her into the room before she could protest.
* * *
Ryu came out of the room about an hour or two later. The maid was under orders to exit after him so as to not arouse too much suspicion. Ryu was dressed in a set of clothes the King had provided him with and was in the process of belting on his sword when he saw the Knight Captain making his war towards his room. Ryu smirked slightly as he looked down at the Captain. The Windian clearly detested the job he was assigned to so Ryu rubbed it in a little as the Knight prepared yet another message or request. "So what does the Kingdom of Windia want with me today?" Ryu asked impudently as he leaned against the wall.
"They would like to know why you are spending so much time with the castle maids." He responded acerbically. Ryu laughed in response to the look on the Windian's face. Ryu gestured for him to follow as they talked, Ryu starting off with a brisk pace.
"Maids are by far the most knowledgeable people I know." The Captain snorted at this remark but Ryu kept going. "No truly, maids know all the gossip and all the information that happens to be floating around. If you want to know how the nobility are doing just ask the people cleaning up after them." Ryu explained noticing the door to his room opening and closing behind them.
"Right... Nina wishes to talk to you and the King has intimated to me that this should be your last day here. I hope I have spelled things out clearly enough for you." The Knight said in his no nonsense tenor.
"Alright, I get the picture. I'm a bad influence upon society so I should get out. I've got another job that needs taking care of anyways." Ryu replied smugly, the Knight looked thankful and Ryu just smirked as he walked away towards the upper gardens. He figured that was where Nina was seeing as that's where he had met her last time. "Oh and if you wanted to be discreet and not talk to Nina about the maids, I'd be thankful." Ryu requested as he continued walking down the long hall towards the stairs.
"Why should I cover for you?" The Knight asked, looking extremely annoyed with the request.
"'Cause she won't believe you anyways. I may happen to be a mercenary and a heartless one at that but I still like to let women have their romantic notions about me." Ryu answered in his smugly satisfied tone. The Knight snorted in disgust but he seemed to acquiesce to the request. Ryu spun around again and took the steps two at a time, anxious to meet with Nina again. *Wonder what she wants to talk about today?*
* * *
The door to the room opened and a fourth member walked into the shadowed room. The room was lit by four candles that shed a minute fraction on light onto the hooded figures standing at the four cardinal points around the table supporting the candles. Each was alike in stature and each looked with shadowed faces at the others. "Let the meeting commence." Each intoned in unison.
"Our progress has been remarkable. We have enough arms and followers prepared to wield them so as to easily defeat any forces that the King can marshal." The northern figure said as he placed his hand upon the candle directly in front of him, casting the northern part of the room into shadow.
"The army of mercenaries is currently in position to intercept any forces that may come to break the siege into the city." The eastern figure stated and put out his candle as well.
"Key guards have been bribed or replaced with our own. We have also seized key siege weapons to launch a volley into the castle itself and to make an organized resistance impossible." South claimed, putting out his candle with a slight flourish.
"The one known as Ryu will be dealt with. The King will also die before he can lead his forces." West informed the others in a quiet, almost sibilant voice. He too put out his candle and the entire room was bathed in darkness.
"And so it begins..."
* * *
"For the last time Nina, I will not take you with me when I go!" Ryu shouted to the truculent Windian, his hands gripping her firmly on the shoulders and looking her straight in the eyes. "Its bad for business if I just get the job done only to create the need for it to be done again. Granted I'd probably turn a tidy profit if I did that but I digress. I don't need the Windian army mad at me again." Ryu finished explaining his reasoning for the third time as he sat Nina down on a bench and he took up pacing in the garden.
It truly a lovely garden when Ryu thought about it, with patches of beautiful flowers in bloom creating a vast patchwork of colors. Great trees sprouted in intervals along the path, providing a shaded region for people to sit upon gleaming white benches. *I can understand why Nina stays in this place from dawn till dusk.* Ryu thought as he gazed up into the great tree overhead.
"Why not? You don't seem to care when the rest of the world wants you dead. Besides, you said your job was to protect me. Think of this as you protecting me from the Kingdom of Windia." Nina wheedled Ryu as she tried to get her way.
"No. My job was to get you here unscathed and I'm not going to take another job to get you out of here in case that's what you're thinking. Why do you want to leave so badly anyways?" Ryu asked, beginning to lose his temper here in the ideal environs.
"I just don't like it here. My father keeps telling me that I'm supposed to help my people and the world in which we live but then he stifles me up inside this castle waiting until he can find some fop to marry me off to. That's not helping people! That's just a waste of time! That's why I ran off, I just wanted to get the hell away from here!" Nina ranted, getting all worked up about the injustices of life and how her father was a hypocrite and blah blah blah. Ryu quit paying attention and just started undressing her in his mind.
"Ryu... Ryu!" Nina shouted his name and he snapped out of his reverie. "So, what do you think?" Ryu had no idea what he thought.
"I agree with you in principal but disagree in practice." Ryu said in non-committal fashion. If you don't know what's going on, always remain neutral. Nina's face went slack and her eyes seemed crestfallen as she lost what she thought of as her staunchest ally. And perhaps Ryu was her staunchest ally. *A sad thought, now that I think about it.* Ryu pondered amusedly.
His eyes had been staring with unfocused sight upon a fluffy white cloud drifting lazily in the distance. It kind of looked like a dragon if his head was turned just right. The cloud that looked like a dragon was immediately ripped apart and set adrift as a confederation of loosely affiliated clouds by a giant neon green explosion launched from some part in the city. "Nina, look out over there. Is there some sort of celebration planned?" Ryu asked his eyes focusing harder upon the still burning flare. Nina turned around and focused upon the same mark in the otherwise pristine blue sky.
"I don't know..." Nina trailed off as more flares began to erupt in the brilliant blue sky. Ryu tore his eyes away from the sky and looked down upon the streets of Werzingrad. People began to pour out of their houses and into the streets of the city, all converging upon the castle.
"Ah shit." Ryu muttered aloud as he lamented his loss of relative peace. He didn't need to be thrown into a civil war, especially not when he just wanted to get some rest. Now he was likely to be drafted by one of the sides and he would rather they both kill each other upon this God forsaken floating rock. "Nina I'd suggest returning to your room." Ryu said, feeling the stirrings of a headache just beginning to be felt.
"Why should I go back to my room? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself." Nina fired back, crossing her legs and leaning back on the bench content to stay right where she was. A great fireball arced over the side lip of the platform hoisting up the garden. It traveled majestically over head before crashing into the center of the garden, bathing the flowers and trees in fire.
"That's why! Now go dammit!" Ryu shouted at the shocked Windian. Ryu didn't wait to see if she complied, he was going to have some long words with whoever it was that decided to ruin his vacation from fighting. *Isn't that just the way life works out? The one time I don't feel any compunction to slaughter a whole mess of Windians is the day they have a fucking civil war!* Ryu thought as he pulled his sword out. More bales of pitch and naphtha exploded into the garden, saturating the place with fire. An occasional bale erupted close to Ryu but he simply walked forward, trying to figure out why they were attacking the garden first. Well, maybe not first but why they attacked it at all. It wasn't an easily defendable position nor was it particularly strategic. The denizens of the castle couldn't use it to escape and no one of any real importance... Nina. The people were trying to kill Nina or at least trap her there. *Ah shit.* Ryu thought clutching his head again as yet another matter was added to his headache.
"Alright fate, this is how it's gonna work out. I'm going to flip a coin: heads I rush back to save Nina or tails, I remain neutral and kill anyone who makes it their business to be killed by me. Ready, here goes." Ryu flipped the coin and watch it go end over end finally finishing its flight in his gauntleted palm. Ryu had caught the coin with a closed fist and now he opened his hand, almost like a flower opening its petals wanting to drink in the sweet light of the sun. "Tails. Sorry Nina, that's just the way fate works." Ryu said in a 'them's the brakes fashion' as he strolled into the hallway next to the garden.
Sounds of swords clashing together and people dying and bellowing in the fight. *Guess I better get my armor.* Ryu thought as he moved down along the hall watching as frightened servants and troops rushed through the hall going this way and that. Ryu finally reached his room and stepped in to grab his new armor. Inside the room was deceptively quiet and Ryu grabbed his sword in anticipation.
"I'm glad I came back here." A voice from Ryu's side emerged and caused Ryu to turn and face it. It was the same Royal Knight who had been hounding Ryu all along.
"What, trying to recruit me into fighting your battles? I think not." Ryu said, turning his back on the Knight and reaching over to grab his armor.
"I didn't come to recruit you. I came to kill you for bringing this upon us!" He exclaimed, lunging towards Ryu. Before the Knight had any real chance to attack he had been decapitated by Ryu in one lighting swipe. Blood fountained up from the wood spraying the carpet and Ryu's legs with the crimson substance.
"Lousy knights." Ryu spat as he pulled his armor up over his head and onto the undershirt required for the chain mesh. Next came the black leather jerkin that had some white gold tooled into it for added effect. Ryu re-sheathed his sword across his back and walked out of the door. More troops were storming down the halls but these were different from the traditional Knights of the castle. These looked like guerilla troops, that theory even more firmly reinforced by the red bands tied around their heads or arms to distinguish them from the other Knights, seeing as their color was blue. "You must be the revolutionaries." Ryu said, planting himself firmly in the center of the hall, preventing them from passing. "Congratulations, for today only have I got a deal for you. I have deigned to withdraw myself from neutrality." Ryu announced, beaming at the five warriors before him. They smiled to, glad to hear that a potentially dangerous enemy would now become a powerful ally. "Unfortunately, I'm on my side." Ryu added that little qualifier in there just as he drew his sword and swiftly impaled the guerilla directly in front of him.
Ryu ripped the sword out of the man's torso and turned it upon the two assailants on his left going low and cutting the legs out from underneath one and rising up to cleave through the arm and torso of the second. Ryu reversed himself and planted his foot on the wall and pushing off to gain momentum on his second wave of attacks. He parried a clumsy attack and crushed the man's skull with his backswing. Ryu ducked under the thrust by the last guerilla and brought his still trailing sword horizontally through the man's stomach, cutting him in two. Ryu let the force of the swing carry him full circle before stopping and sheathing his sword. Ryu rotated his neck out and sighed a little as his muscles loosened up. Ryu moved swiftly down the hall, searching for the stairwell to carry him towards the main hall or some other exit.
His feet inexorably carried him forward, his sword out and covered with blood. He didn't encounter any more soldiers from either side but the sounds of their struggle reverberated throughout the stone walls. At last Ryu hit the main floor of the castle and a brutal melee writhed around him as insurgents and knights alike hacked each other apart in a grim dance of steel and blood. Ryu could feel a smile twitching at the side of his lips as he looked around at the carnage. Ryu wasted no time in hurling himself into the thick of things cutting apart those who stood before him. Swords hit the ground, the owner's arm still attached followed by the body of the man who owned both arm and sword. Blood drenched the flagstones as rank upon rank joined the dead in their soundless screams.
Adrenaline coursed through Ryu's veins as something awoke within him. His eyes took on a luminous quality as the battle raged on. Guerilla, knight, large, small, the strong, the dexterous, all were equal when faced with the steel of his sword. The fight continued behind him but Ryu pushed onward, searching for the leaders of this insurgence. In his haste he hurled himself into the chapel. A great statue of Myria stood with a radiant stained glass backdrop depicting the coming morn. Great columns inlaid with beaten gold were spaced out evenly among the great hall. Seated in prayer at one of the pews was a man clothed in large brown trench coat. Ryu's eyes bored into the man's back, sensing something not right about this man sitting calmly with his back to him.
"Good morning Ryu." The praying man greeted Ryu, his voice soft yet forceful. He stood up slowly, revealing a height as great as Ryu's as he turned slowly to face him. His features were cast into shadows by the hat he wore and his hands were enveloped in the comfort of his sleeves. Ryu gripped his sword more tightly as he prepared himself for the coming fight. "I'm Sellaving. Just in case you wanted to know the name of your murderer that is." Sellaving said in his soft voice, his arm suddenly moving to eye level and jerking back as a large steel bolt erupted from the shadows of his sleeve, aiming straight for Ryu.
Ryu sidestepped the projectile and dashed forward bringing his sword up in the process hoping to cut the man down before the fight could drag out two long. The man was quick however, quicker than Ryu had anticipated and his sword was caught between two, slightly curved, short swords. Since his sword was caught low his position was rather precarious since Sellaving's swords were on top and fully capable of moving in for the strike. Sellaving picked up on that too and moved his swords forward almost too fast for Ryu to react to. Ryu shifted his sword to a vertical position holding the weapons at bay before pushing the other mercenary off him and into one of the pews.
Ryu pushed his attack onward and prepared an overhead cleave of his victim. All Sellaving had time to do was roll out of the way as Ryu clove through the sturdy wooden bench. Ryu ripped his blade sideways to catch the attack of the mercenary before swiveling the sword in a defensive arc to block the second attack. Ryu lashed out with his foot, connecting with the other man and knocking him backward. Ryu thrust forward trying again to finish the fight by transfixing his opponent upon his sword.
Sellaving had desired this strike from the beginning it seemed as he deftly rolled under the thrust and pierced Ryu neatly through the rib cage with his left short sword. Ryu backhanded the triumphant Sellaving knocking him to the ground and then watched as he slide across the smooth marble floors. Ryu put his hand leadenly on the sword and started to pull the blade out of his side. His breathing was labored since the sword had punctured his lung. But even as the world swam around him he could feel his body working to heal itself in its time of need. Ryu jerked upon the sword but it was caught on his bone. The blade was serrated to make exiting difficult. Ryu gritted his teeth as he set himself for the pain that was about to come up.
Sellaving had been staring at Ryu this entire time which Ryu thought was a little odd. *Why isn't he taking advantage of this?* Ryu thought through a pain wracked mind. Ryu looked deep into the eyes of his enemy and the reflection that greeted him chilled him to the bone even as the environment around him heated up. Ryu didn't even bother to turn around as the glass shattered behind him. Time slowed down for the mercenary as he stood, hand on the sword impaled inside of him. The statue behind him suddenly burst into flames as it was soaked in the pitch launched via catapult. The burning rain enveloped the area, lighting upon Ryu delicately, almost like butterfly wings before the force of the impact knocked Ryu to the ground, burying him under a blanket of fire.
* * *
Sellaving walked casually out of the burning cathedral, almost strutting in his pleasure of the situation. Here he was, the slayer of the great Ryu. The invincible man had been killed by none other than Sellaving. Sellaving took in a deep breath, almost exultantly. "I've never cared for the smell of pitch before but I think I could get to like it." He mused to himself as he strolled along. He eventually came into the King's Hall and found many of the rebel soldiers standing about, catching some rest after a fierce stint at fighting. The old King lay dead on the floor, his back to the throne as he had died trying to escape. Merudar was standing roughly in the center of the hall, his armor gleaming in the torchlight. Several of his elite troops were clustered around him, putting on a show of force. Sarcenos was sitting indolently in the King's Throne, his fingers steeped as he look speculatively across the room. "Where's Gerard?" Sellaving asked of the two as he entered the room.
"He's off hunting Nina." Merudar replied while he was still looking at his map of the castle. One of his advisors gesturing where there were still pockets of resistance. "Sellaving, if you don't mind would you take the flag and unfurl it at the watch tower?" Merudar asked as he looked up from his map and brought at the furled piece of cloth. Sellaving shrugged and took the flag and headed towards the central staircase leading up to the tower. It was going to be a long climb up.
* * *
Those who say the last moments of life are spent viewing memories that sum up the entirety of the life you lived are lying to you. The last sight before your eyes is the taunting face of death. The only thing you can see is the leering face of your failure, clawing at your eyes, reminding you an infinite number of times how you died and what you could have done to prevent it. Hindsight seems so simple to the dying man. Everything could have been easily averted if only he had this or that..
Ryu could feel his skin begin to melt off in the intense heat. He writhed in unimaginable pain as the fire bathed him in its ferocity. The skin that fell off was replaced by fresh, healed over patches of flesh cooling the pain Ryu had felt only to be torn away by unsatisfied fires. Ryu's breath came out in bits and spurts as the smoke and ash robbed him of the sweet balm of air. His eyes were glazed over by the heat, open to a world with nothing in except the red heat of suffering. Ryu curled up into a fetal position, trying to find some sort of succor amid the raging torrent around him.
As he lay, rocking back and forth the fire caressed him with its barbed glove, leaving streaks of pain in its wake. His heart grew louder in his ears beating faster and faster. A vice had clamped down upon his lungs, crushing them beneath its iron claws. Ryu struggled for breath amidst bed of fire as his heart thundered inside his head, thrashing to release itself from the tormented husk it was trapped in. With one final beat his heart grew silent. The vice on his lungs snapped and became impotent. The fires were no longer an intense heat but a mild comfort bringing him a last moment of peace. Ryu's world grew dark and tranquil.
* * *
Nina rushed down the hall, knocking over platforms and small pedestals with priceless artwork placed atop them in her haste. She didn't know who it was that hunted her but he was immune to any kind of magic that he threw at her. Her most powerful spells were as harmless as raindrops upon cloaked Windian. Nina saw that this hall ended room that she wasn't sure had an exit. Normal Windians might have been able to escape the trap she had knowingly entered. She flung the door open and closed it just as quickly taking a solid gold torch off of the wall and placed it between the handles, hoping that it would be enough to stop him. The room was nothing more than a black hole, despite the hour of the day, usually used as a study by visiting royalty. Nina used that last bit of her energy to hurl a small spell at one of the windows, shattering it to pieces. She may not have been able to fly but he might not know that. Nina quickly dove under a desk and hugged her knees to her chest as she waited for him to enter. She heard a sharp thud on the door and closed her eyes in fear, her body shaking.
*I wish Ryu was here.*
* * *
Ryu's heart began to beat again suddenly. A bit of life had entered into his body again and with that so did the pain. His heart began to throb in a mixture of joy and pain, beating at an accelerated rate as if to make up for lost time. The pain was no longer relegated to his outside however, now it coursed through his veins. His chest thrust forward in excitement at the prospect of living again, all too happy to breathe the sweet air in again. But with each beat of the heart, each new wave of blood coursing through his body brought forth new pain. The fire was a lover's embrace compared to this. The heart beat faster and the lungs clamped tighter. No air was coming in to fuel this rate of living but air was immaterial to his new life. All he needed to live now was pain.
His body jerked into a spread eagle position, muscles clenching and unclenching in their remembered freedom. Vision shot back into his eyes as well as his other senses. The world was vibrant with everything once more. The smell and sensation of fire were nothing like he had ever experience before. The softest silk, the finest perfume paled in comparison to what he felt now. The blood flowing through him brought with it new life devoid of pain. The pressure upon his lungs had snapped allowing breath to enter his lungs. The acrid smoke which once sent him to his needs was a soothing balm upon his pain wracked body. The air that came in, no matter how tainted brought an unprecedented health to his body.
Ryu propped himself up to a sitting position and looked around the world that greeted him. The once golden columns had been melted down into great puddles opulence. The statue of Myria was surrounded by an aura of fire which burned continuously upon the stone flesh of the Goddess. Myria's eyes seemed almost alive and glared down upon him with malevolence beyond what humans were capable of. Ryu shoved himself off the ground and stood upon newly formed legs. His leather pants scorched and worn but still clinging to his body. His chain shirt still hung upon his chest but the garment worn over it was nothing more than the ashes strewn on the ground or in his hair.
Ryu clenched his fist reveling in the strength that had been given to him by death. Sellaving's sword was still embedded in his side, Ryu grinned, almost ashamed to remove it. The weapon had been part of his rebirth, part of what made him into this new form. Ryu gripped it and pulled it out to find it accompanied by a small river of blood that quickly closed up. Ryu's sword was still clamped in his hand, the muscles refusing to relinquish the blade. Ryu inhaled deeply the air around him; the smoke and ash, sweet incense to him as he looked around the rest of the chapel. The short sword in his hand reminded him of what he wanted to do right now. *What a time to be alive.* Ryu thought as he strode out of the burning cathedral.
Ryu strode down the hall, his footsteps echoing on the hard stone floor. The rest of the castle was completely silent, the sounds of fighting and dying were elsewhere in the world. A set of wooden doors, bound in iron, stood before him barring him from passing. Regardless of whether or not the doors may have been locked Ryu kicked it down, sending it sliding across the floor grating upon the ears of any who heard it. Ryu walked into the hall looking at the surprise and fear in the eyes of the soldiers clustered there. One man sat in the King's throne, the rightful owner of that piece of metonymy lay dead at the foot of it.
The soldiers quickly got over their fear and charged the searching Ryu. *Sellaving is not here. I suppose these will do for now.* Ryu thought looking at the troops amassing before him. Probably a score of guerillas had set themselves against him. Without hesitation, Ryu hurled the shortsword straight at one of the troops, piercing through the thick plate armor protecting him. Ryu rushed after the projectile as soon as it had left his hands, staying close behind it. The blade hit seconds before Ryu ripped it out and brought it in a wide arc, cutting through a surprised soldier's neck. Ryu thrust in the opposite direction with his sword impaling another shocked guerilla and three lay dead before they had moved an inch. Ryu ripped his sword out as the man fell and clove through the hastily brought up weapon, and the man holding it feebly. A man charged at him and Ryu slammed his elbow straight into the throat of the man, crushing it beneath the colliding forces.
The men began to swarm Ryu, each stabbing with ineffectual weapons. Ryu thrashed about him in a controlled rage. His swords darting in and out of his opponents mailed bodies.
One last soldier stood before Ryu and fell to his knees, his sword broken tying to block an attack from Ryu. "Please don't kill..." The last words of his plea were silence by Ryu's sword. The soldier's head rolled across the ground, still inside its helm of embossed steel. Ryu looked to the man still sitting indolently in his throne. His feet now propped upon the dead King's body.
"Congratulations my angry friend, you are now able to kill grunts. But how will you fare against one of my talents?" He taunted, his voice almost nasal as he leered down at Ryu. The man jerked his hand suddenly preparing to launch a spell before Ryu could react. But Ryu did react, his sense picking up on the nature of this man's "talents." Ryu hurled the serrated shortsword straight at the sorcerer's upturned hand, the blade piercing the flesh and sinking into the wood behind it. "Ahhh!" The man cried out in agony, his voice no longer carrying the arrogance it had earlier possessed.
Ryu walked slowly up the steps to the throne and the whimpering man now in possession of Sellaving's sword. The man was cringing in terror, his body curled into a fetal position, except his hand and the arm it was attached to. Ryu grabbed the sword and jerked it out of the throne and hand, the man let out another pitiful wail and whimpered some more. "Please don't hurt me!" He pleaded, looking at the serrated blade that had his own blood slowly dripping off it. "I'll pay you whatever you want, just don't hurt me!" He wailed out, his voice reaching another octave in his fright.
Ryu grabbed the man by his throat and lifted him off the throne and into the air, his feet dangling about a foot off the ground. "This isn't about money. Where's Sellaving?" Ryu asked, his face mere inches away from the shuddering man.
"He's in the watch tower, getting ready to unfurl our flag." The frightened sorcerer said, his voice loud and nasal, even when Ryu was inches away. The whimpering fop refused to look at Ryu but insisted upon keeping his face averted. Ryu threw the man back into the ornate chair, rocking backward as it received the loathsome burden. Ryu's eyes shot down to what was beside the throne, a staff entwined with gold. Ryu bent down to pick it up and weighed it in his hands before looking at the sorcerer cradling his hand.
"Is this yours?" Ryu asked the man, a smirk playing across his features.
* * *
Sellaving finally reached the top of the long flight of stairs leading to the top of the watchtower. He looked down below to find some patches of the Royal Knights entrenched in the streets, still fighting the rebel forces. Well, regardless of whether or not the Royal Knights were able to turn back the rebels their leaders were dead or in the process of being killed leaving them as nothing more than a chicken with its head cut off.
Sellaving sighed in annoyance as he began pulling on the rope to bring the old flag down. "They could've at least sent one of the regular soldiers up here to do this." Sellaving thought bitterly as he untied the old flag from the rope and let it drift to the ground.
"But then you wouldn't have had as long to live." Sellaving heard someone's voice directly behind him and he turned to look around and saw something that made him drop the weapon he had pulled out mid-spin. Ryu was standing alive, battered and ash covered, but still alive. But this time something about his eyes were different. They glowed in the darkness of the room and his pupils were no longer circular but two vertical slits grinning at him with feral intensity. "You forgot this." He said with an almost compassionate air. Sellaving was perplexed however, he didn't really know what Ryu was talking about. His questions were soon cleared up by the appearance of his shortsword flying towards him. Sellaving would have liked to move but his feet were rooted to the spot by his own fear. His eyes were crossed when the sword embedded itself in him. He was alive long enough to see the skewered blade quiver slightly at the force of the impact.
* * *
Merudar had grown impatient waiting for Sellaving to finish his job. "I should have just sent a soldier up." He muttered under his breath, scanning the watchtower. He had seen the old flag float to the ground but the new one had yet to come up. His elite troops were making their way through the courtyard, finishing up the loyal troops still fighting, only two of his personal guards were still standing by him. Merudar spat at the ground in disgust, a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Sir, something's just gone up the flag pole. I can't tell what it is though." One of his guards said looking up at the sky, shielding his eyes with his hand. The day had progressed quickly, it was dusk by now, the sun obscuring the tower almost entirely.
Merudar responded to the comment by pulling out his collapsible telescope. He trained it upon the watchtower receiving some sun glare for his troubles. After a few moments of focusing a grisly sight came into view. The "flag" suspended from the pole was Sellaving's body, twisting fitfully in the wind. "Holy shit." Merudar said, awe and horror entering into his voice. "C'mon troops, we've got to find out who the hell did that." Merudar said to the five elites in the immediate vicinity. "Lieutenant, you're in charge." He finished his orders and dashed into the castle's anteroom.
Everything was in order here, no troops present but they were already outside or patrolling more dangerous areas. Merudar and his other troops moved quickly but carefully down the long hall towards the King's Hall. The large doors stood before him still closed, but Sarcenos and a score of troops were holding it so Merudar wasn't too worried. Merudar opened the doors to the hall and looked in, the sight before him caused him to blanch along with his guards. The score of troops had been cut down horrifically and Sarcenos had been impaled into the throne. "Gods above." One of his guards whispered, the sentiment shared by the others.
Merudar walked down the hall carefully, his eyes scanning the recesses of the columns to see if the murderer still lurked here. "First Sellaving was killed, and now Sarcenos, who the hell is this guy?" Another of his guards asked as he peered down at the dead bodies. Merudar had reached the throne and looked at the object holding Sarcenos in place, it was his staff, but it had been broken in two and stabbed into each of his lungs. Merudar fought the urge to vomit and turned back to his guards.
"We don't know if it was only one person. It's more likely that a squad of Royal Knights had come through and done this." Merudar said, trying to allay his own fears along with those of his troops. Some of his guards nodded but one looked speculatively down at the bodies.
"I hate to tell people when they're wrong but it just happens that they are so often mistaken." A voice commented from behind Merudar. He turned sharply in response, pulling out his battle axe and shifting the shield on his left arm as he pivoted. A tall man was leaning against one of the pillars nonchalantly. A sword hilt poking over his shoulder and blue hair coming down his forehead, an ash covered chain shirt glittered in the torch light. Merudar took all of his features in a moment but the eyes held him paralyzed. The eyes glowed green from the shadow of his face, captivating and frightening the insurgents at the same time. "You see, I killed those people, probably in the same fashion that I'll kill you." The strange man continued laughing slightly.
"You must be mad!" Merudar said incredulously, one man against twenty crack troops and one sorcerer, even with the element of surprise it was ludicrous.
"I'm not so much mad as I am idiosyncratic." He replied smirking as he stepped off the column and walked towards the troops, his sword still in place. "Tell you what, I won't fight the other guys, it'll just be between two leaders of men." He added, looking inquisitively at Merudar. Merudar thought about it and nodded slightly, still unsure of what to make of this man. "Splendid, I'll just set things up." He finished, gesturing to Merudar's guards.
What came next surprised everyone except the green eyed man. The guards, began to claw at their skin as it splintered and bled suddenly, almost like they were roasting from the inside. Steam issued forth from the new crevices in the flesh and blood seeped out of eyes and nostrils as the collapsed to the ground, their bodies contorting into unnatural positions. Merudar's eyes widened in surprise and he turned his vision upon the expectant psychotic. The strange man's look faltered somewhat and he looked at Merudar questioningly. "What is it? Aren't you ready?" He was very solicitous and yet he had tortured those men in inconceivable ways. He masqueraded as the soul of gentility and yet he had killed so many so brutally.
"Who are you?" Merudar asked, anger and fear coating his words.
"I'm hurt that you don't know, I mean, you guys were the ones who killed me." He responded in a rather hurt tone. Realization dawned upon Merudar. Ryu. The man standing before him was none other than the one Sellaving had killed. But here he was alive. Did Sellaving kill him at all? But he did say he had been killed. Nothing made sense anymore and Merudar prepared himself to run but Ryu caught hold of him, his hands grasping each side of his helm firmly. "I'd say this was a lesson but you can't profit from any knowledge you gain right before death. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about." Ryu bantered, his hands tightening upon Merudar's skull.
* * *
Nina huddled even tighter underneath the desk even though the man hunting her had come and gone. She was still too afraid to leave her place of shelter. Everything that had happened, finding her father dead in the throne room, despite how much she had despised him she had never wanted him to die. *And now look at things. My kingdom is in shambles, people who aren't even Windians are fighting to kill me and no one's alive except me.* Nina began to cry again, hot tears slowly ran down her cheeks in a silent plea for help.
* * *
Ryu strolled down the halls, whistling a tune he vaguely remembered hearing. Life before the fire seemed a little hazy, some things were bright and clear, like Sellaving. But others taunted him from the security of the shadows. Ryu was strolling down a long hall, his nose telling him that something was down there, something familiar. As he past by a mirror his eyes were arrested by what they saw.
Ryu had expected his eyes to look like those of the ones he had killed. His eyes looked back at him with gangrel delight, the round pupils of the Windians and humans replaced by two vertical slits. Something stirred inside of him. A memory of his prior life, or perhaps it was his death. Two eyes like his own had looked down at him with love, paternal in nature and very comforting to his soul. A word sprung up in his mind and came to the forefront of his thoughts, overshadowing everything that had stood before it.
"Dragon."
Ryu's musing were cut short however, a strange man had appeared behind him and slammed him hard into the mirror before him, the shards of glass ripping up his face. The man behind him lifted him up again and threw him into the stone wall causing his nose to break. The third man was about to lift him up a third time Ryu slammed his forehead into the face of his unknown assailant. Ryu's vision cleared up after he blinked once or twice and his nose cracked back into place along with the shards of glass hitting the stone floor beneath him.
The man before him was clothed completely in white. The radiance of the cloth caused Ryu's pupils to contract slightly despite the darkness. The man brought his fists up defensively and squared off against Ryu. Ryu brought back his right fist and threw a simple yet effecting punch. The man had tried to block but it came too quickly. Ryu's fist connected with the man's chest and carried him forward and to the wall. Flesh and bone gave way beneath the force of the blow followed by the organs beneath it. The man's eyes flew up in pain and surprise, his strong body failing him for the first time in his life.
Ryu let the body fall as blood billowed up from the wound and down the sides of the man's mouth. Ryu had almost let the sudden bit of rage consume him completely but had let it end with that single punch. "No one gets a cheap shot on Ryu." Ryu said to the now dead man. Ryu turned on his foot, following the familiar scent towards the end of the hall. He had reached the door, the scent caressing his nostrils. The feelings it aroused in him both twofold. On one side he was pleased by the scent, it reminded him of something that lurked just beyond, it was a woman and a Windian at that. The other part was one of bitter hatred, a bound rage that was very close to breaking loose at the sight of the girl. It was with a confused heart that Ryu opened the door, except it was barred. *No matter." Ryu thought, lifting his foot and kicking it in, a metallic snap greeting him.
* * *
Nina jumped at the sound of the door crashing open. Much to her dismay she jumped too much and her head hit the top of the desk eliciting a yelp of pain from her. She peered around the corner of the desk and saw what she had been sorely anticipating this entire time. It was Ryu. He stood there with the semi-light creating an aura around him. She almost cried for joy as she crawled out from underneath the desk and ran to him. But before she could reach him, something inside of her stopped her cold in her tracks.
Nina was confused, she wanted to run to him, to thank him for saving her from this trapped room but something inside of her held her back. Ryu seemed to be struggling with something inside of him as well, his eyes glowed brighter in darkness. *Glowed? Ryu's eyes never glowed.* Nina thought, knowing for sure that something was wrong here. Ryu's right hand went for something in the shadow of his arm and when it re-emerged it was holding something, something that glinted off the muted light coming from the hall.
It was a dagger, she saw it clearly now, here eyes widening in horror. "Ryu, what are you doing?" Nina asked bringing her hands up to defend herself. Ryu remained silent and just looked at her with those eyes of his. No, they weren't his eyes but something she dreaded more. They were vertical slits... Like a dragon's. Her horror grew in intensity and she dropped her defenses just in time for the dagger to come snaking in.
Nina felt a sharp pain enter her, sliding up into her heart and piercing the organ. She shut her eyes in pain and disbelief. *Ryu...* Her body was no longer supported by the dagger and she slumped to the ground, her eyes opening for the last time. She could see the dagger coated with blood, a small droplet forming on the tip and then falling to the ground. Ending its flight back in the wound from which it had come.
* * *
There we go. I'm going to hell for this, or at least everyone's going to hate me for what I've done. But you got to admit that it was unexpected and, I think, unprecedented. This certainly goes along with my previous pattern of Ryu's evil, he keeps getting worse in worse from just killing a ranger to then killing the whole group and now culminating with Nina. Does it ever end? By the way, I was listening to some Duran Duran and Yellow Card while writing this so I think it's safe to say that those are bands which breed murderous intent, write your congressman today. If you have one.
Also, I know this may go over wrong with several of you but I want you all to keep on reading this story despite this chapter or perhaps because of it.
Fact of the Chapter: Did you know that the nodes of ranviar, apart from being a hard-core underground band are also a part of your brain meant to speed up messages sent from the brain along the nervous system.