Hey again! Woohoo! The holidays are here, although I will still have no end of studies due to unsatisfactory exam results. But that would never stop my passion for writing! There's a hell lot of events in the holidays so if my work's a bit sloppy, I'm really sorry about it. I wish to extend my gratitude to all reviewers who were wonderful in the evaluation of my story and concern. Thanks guys! You're the greatest! Hope you guys will enjoy my fics in the future too! By the way, I'm gonna explain a few things you guys might have questions about in the earlier chapters in this one. P
Currently still thinking up a sequel with an original storyline, but only got the gist of it…P
March on to the story, soldier!!
Breath of Fire 2: Chapter 5-Holy Monkeys! There's a Dog in the house!!
He walked down the streets, the rain pouring down, cold and harsh.
All he could do was look around desperately for an inn still open, warm enough to dry himself totally. Even with the cloak he was wearing, he felt the slick wetness of the rain soaking his fur.
A drop of water dropped onto his head, causing him to shiver slightly. He needed a damned inn, and fast. Looking up, he saw a wooden sign in the shape of a horse which read "The Flying Pony" and without a moment to lose, he zipped into the tavern, asking for warm ale and hot food. Taking off his soaked cloak, he could feel numerous stares, some curious, some mildly interested, mostly hostile. It was as though they were looking at a zoo exhibit.
He could not blame them since his kind, after all, hardly came to the city of wings and they bare a strikingly close resemblance to…..
"Hey, stranger. 'ere's your ale and food. That will be eighteen gold pieces, unless you wanna wash the dishes….." That remark earned more than a few snickers from the other patrons. He just glanced up casually and grinning toothily, emptied his fistful of fifty gold pieces into the surprised innkeeper's open hand.
"Will that be enough for a night's stay in the 1st class rooms and for the food?" Barely acknowledging the nod, he smiled and added, "Oh, the remaining gold pieces are your little tip. Don't bother returning it to me." He smiled again, this time showing off his outstanding incisors, to which several people backed away. As he finished his meal and stood up, the people around him could see that he was actually quite short. The cloak, torn and old fitted him perfectly where it should have barely covered a normal human. His movements were quite jerky as though he could not walk properly.
"Hey, little man. Maybe you could spare me some change." A burly man towered over the cloaked figure, his eight foot frame completely dwarfing the figure, who stood no more than four feet. The teeth shown in his greasy smile were yellow to the core, mostly rotten or broken from various fights he had been in when he was younger. His fists easily outsized the cloaked person's head, who looked as though he didn't have a chance in hell to even dodge a blow.
A rustle of clothing and a 'zip' sound later, the bigger man laid on the floor, unconscious and bleeding slightly from a wound at his left temple. The shorter person grinned and held up his dagger for all the gaping onlookers to see. "Is there anyone else who needs money?" Without waiting for an answer, he prodded up the stairs and to his bedroom for a well-earned rest. Being a runaway was tough, especially when his people wanted him dead or alive for various reasons. He rose to his normal height of five foot nine, a good difference from his 'usual' height. He chuckled quietly to himself as he flung the cloak onto a nearby table. "Being a Legacy sure brings fame…..and misfortune to you sometimes."
With that, he slept.
"Oi, time to wake up! Geez, you have a tendency to get beaten up and knocked out when you are traveling with us….." Katt's voice found its way into Ryu's ears, who groggily struggled up into a sitting position. He still felt sore from the duel yesterday although the pain seemed to have disappeared or alleviated by strong clerical magic. He surveyed the surroundings and noticed that he was still in the infirmary in which he was transferred to the day before.
What had happened then? He was sure he could not remember a single thing after the Powerspell struck him. It was all so fuzzy…..but he did vaguely remember the metallic taste of blood on his lips during the time where he was 'unconscious'. To add to this, it was not the first time he had blacked out while fighting. There was once when he had been surrounded by Deathpedes and his mind went completely blank. The next thing he knew was he had been carried to safety by Bow and his best buddy had recounted that he had been discovered near a pile of bodies of Deathpedes. What is this? What was going on with him?
"I think I might have some idea, my friend." A soothing voice, calm yet commanding. Ryu, realizing that he must have said his last thoughts out loud, turned to face the owner of that voice.
The speaker was a man who looked to be in his early 20s. He had long flowing blond hair reaching down to his lower back and he was six feet two, a tad bit taller than Ryu. His muscular frame hinted that the man had great strength and power and his sure movement and unwavering steps told Ryu that this man was a seasoned warrior. The baggy healer's garb was not even enough to hide his bulky frame. Despite his imposing figure, the smile on the man's face could only be described as warm and genuine.
"Good morning. I'm glad to see you are awake and well. I'm Ray Braddock, a healer of St.Evrai." Ryu took the outstretched hand, which he found was rather callused.
Another evidence of a warrior.
"Same to you, Mr.Braddock. I'm Ryu Bateson, a 2nd class Ranger of Hometown's Rangers' Guild. Nice to meet you too." He shook his hand and sat back on the bed. "You were mentioning something about knowing what was?"
"Call me Ray. The 'mister' part makes me sound old." He chuckled softly but turned serious almost immediately, just like a chameleon changing its skin color in accordance to its surroundings. "Indeed. I do know a bit about your condition or shall I say, your bloodline."
"Bloodline?" Ryu was starting to have a bad feeling about what the warrior cleric was going to say next. Suddenly he dreaded finding out why he had lost consciousness during the duel.
Ray nodded. "Yes, bloodline. I think perhaps you are one which has the blood of the Berserker Dragon clan. This clan existed four thousand years ago and lasted till the Apocalyptic Days, where they were seemingly obliterated by the Dragon God Ladon for joining the Goddess Myria's cause and destroying several powerful Dragon clans. That was five hundred years ago, where a White Dragon clan member put an end to the chaos."
Ryu's face lit up. At least here was one person who did not forget about the five hundred year-old legend! He nodded vigorously like a child and continued, "He had his sister killed when the entire thing began and he fought and defeated the Goddess, right? It was amazing. He even channeled the power of the Keys themselves to help him somehow. Legend has it that he can even summon dragons and use their powers! How cool is that?"
The man smiled. This youth was special somehow. He could feel it, although it was not altogether a good feeling. "You do have a good knowledge of the Apocalyptic Days. How is it that when I said that you are a Berserker can you be so calm about it?" To tell the truth, Ray was quite impressed with this teenager, who was probably no younger than him by five years.
The Ranger smiled. "I've heard that before from my three mentors. They were rather knowledgeable. At least, two of them were." He chuckled to himself, remembering his third mentor, who did not even know what a Highlander is and yet, was supposedly a widely-traveled thief. "They knew many things about the Dragon Clans, the War of the Wings, the Immortal Wars, The Ragnarok Calendar…."
"It seems your mentors were really wise." Ray said, thoroughly impressed by what Ryu had just mentioned. Those events happened eons ago, and their records dated from several of tens of thousands of years back. Hardly anyone knew-or even bother to know about these facts. "However, just by listening to your description of your mentors, you don't seem to know who they are. Why is that so?"
"It's one of their weird habits. They never showed my best friend and I their true identities, either wearing masks or having their faces shrouded in cloaks. Come to think of it, I didn't know anything about them….." Ryu began to ponder again. Why did his mentors rescued him? Why did they want to raise him to be a warrior? What was their purpose in all these? He had never really thought about it but when he did now, it bothered him greatly.
On seeing the troubled expression on the young man's face, Ray decided to change the subject. "By the way, Ryu, did you know that the White Dragon Clan warrior who defeated Myria had the same name as you did?"
"Oh?!? What a coincidence! Haha! Tell me more about this hero….."
"Geez. The moment he gets better, he sits there and talks to a complete stranger as though they were old friends meeting each other again." Katt grumbled as she held the empty bowl, previously filled with porridgeRyu had wolfed down five minutes ago. She had wanted to spend some time alone with the blue-haired teen, only to have a blonde-haired man taking her place. "He looks kinda hot though….." Katt giggled at that thought. Ray Braddock was handsome, with his finely chiseled nose, crimson eyes of the greatest depth and a well-sculpted face. Everything about him was quite perfect, as she heard from one of the servant girls in the hallway. He had impeccable manners, is extremely sociable to everyone he meets and talented in music, art and the art of fighting. "The only problem with him is that….."
"Is that there is no problem with him at all." Katt whirled around, embarrassed that the black-winged Winidian should hear her talk about Ray Braddock to herself. She coughed to cover up her embarrassment and in turn tried her best to glare at Nina. "Did I say something wrong?"
"No…..but perhaps you could stop scaring me like that." Katt replied cautiously, unsure of the stability of Nina's emotions after what had happened. Her exile, now completed by the queen, the obsession of her suitor Kendrick Stormwind and the weird things happening to Ryu. If it was her, she might already have broken down a long time ago, her emotional defenses shattering under the heavy burden of all these happenings.
Nina shook her head and smiled, an upward curve gradually appearing upon her lips. "I'm sorry and to answer your thoughts, yes, I'm okay. Don't worry about me." She cast a worried look at the infirmary. "In fact, I think his problems might be greater than mine now, seeing as how confused he is about his Berserker lineage. At least I can take the exile easily and at least hope that Kendrick would stop bothering me soon. For Ryu…..well, I'm not too sure if he likes the idea of massacring his opponents or adversaries….."
"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Katt's ears twitched, a sign that she was either interested or curious. In this case, she was both and all ears about Nina's firsthand lesson about the Berserkers.
"Alright. I'll tell you," Nina sighed, sitting next to Katt and began her explanation, "Berserkers are the Dragon people who are usually mild-mannered and most of them are peace-loving, to say the least. However, when they are engaged in combat of any kind, their peace-loving nature will get consumed by the beast of rage and power in them, destroying all they deem as enemies, leaving none alive until the battle and danger is over. When the Ragnarok Calendar started, the Berserkers already existed, contrary to popular beliefs that the world gave birth to their kind only eight thousand years ago. They were the creation of Aranemus, the ancient God of War and Furion, the God of Anger. It was said that they poured in liquids of great magic into the bodies of these men, giving them great strength and power-"
"Wait, wait, wait! How come there's a God of Anger? I never heard of 'im before! Another thing, how come Ryu didn't go all bonkers and whack Stormwind from the start?"
Nina giggled despite her worry. Katt's inquisitiveness always seemed to make things lighter for her. "I'm getting to that. Furion was not known to us as he vanished after the War of the Heavens, presumably dead. Many different Gods were destroyed and trapped in Worldstones, hidden different places. These Gods were the ones who were unable to recover their physical forms and had their souls trapped inside. Most, however, were completely annihilated. The surviving Gods went into an Eternal Sleep to recover their wounds while Tyr, who had escaped unscathed, went about to initiate her plans to control our world." She paused to catch her breath and continued, "Regarding Ryu's reaction, it could be possible that the magic in his blood has weakened due to different circumstances, maybe inter-racial marriage caused the blood in his body to be 'impure'. Thus, only when he was facing great danger did his blood initiate the Berserker Effect in him."
"How about the gigantic ball of energy hurled at Ryu? What's that called?"
"That is a Powerspell. It is something which comprises of different elements of energies combined together to form a devastating destruction spell. Depending on magic power of the wizard casting the spell and the huge amount of concentration needed, the spell can take out a band of two dozen ogres at one go or at least pulverize lesser monsters. At worse, however, if you do it wrongly, it could vaporize yourself. Usually, only spell-casters of the greatest experience and power can cast these kind of spells. What's more, mediums are also needed to empower it." Nina looked at the goggling Katt. "Hmm? Did I talk too fast? Should I repeat it again?"
The Woren shook her head vigorously. "No! It's just that…..I'm quite impressed by your knowledge. How did you learn so much?"
"Well, my teachers were good teachers, I had nothing much to do in the Magic School besides read and practice my magic and there was a certain blue-haired girl who taught me most of these. The problem is, she never tell me her name and I couldn't get it out of her."
Looking at the perplexed expression on Nina's face, Katt began to laugh. "Hmm? What's so funny, Katt?"
"It's nothing." Katt gasped between giggles. Now that she realized her judgment was completely off the track about Nina, she found it funny somehow. She had always thought that Nina was a stuck up and spoilt brat, being a princess and all. Yet here she is, learning from the very person she once mildly scorned about ancient history and Berserkers and things like that. Somehow, Nina Wyndia never failed to surprise and amaze her. Next thing you know, Nina might even be able to whip up delicacies from the most meager supplies of iron rations.
There was just one problem for her, though…..
"Hey Nina," Katt tried to ask her as calmly as possible, "do you…..ermm…..sort of like…..Ryu? Another thing, did something happen…..the night before the duel? You guys were acting…..kinda awkward towards each other….."
Now she can finally find out more about…..them.
"Eh? Whatever do you mean?" Nina turned quickly, almost too quickly in response to Katt's questions. Her feeble attempt to hide the crimson blush on her face was a complete failure and she tried to use the tip of her wings to cover her face. Very suspicious, Katt decided.
"You know, like…..as in THAT kind of like? And THAT kind of thing happening on that night?" This time, Katt felt her composure slipping away, bit by bit. She fought to gain control and barely succeeded. Damned her impatience! She had to control it for as long as it took for Nina to answer her.
"Ermm…ahh….ermm…." The nervousness was infectious as Katt began to feel the sweat on her palms as she waited. "Ahhahaha….! How could anything have happened? I-It's not like we are….l-l-lovers or anything…."
"But do you like him?"
This was the first time in all of her sixteen years that she felt so nervous and yet, she did not know why. "Ehhh….Oh hey! I got to look for the healer! He might tell me more about Ryu's condition and we can help him together!" With that, she ran off in the opposite direction of the infirmary, tripping over nothing in particular and falling down in process. She sat up and laughed a silly laugh before rushing off again. Katt raised an eyebrow and her mind filled with confusion and an even stronger desire to know what had happened that night. Nina was acting strange after all. In fact, her behavior was anything but ordinary. How could a figure of grace fall like a sack of potatoes when there was nothing to even trip on? "I'm going to find out what happened or my name's not Katt Chuan!"
"What are you going to find out?" A male voice spoke suddenly, causing Katt to jump three feet into the air literally. She turned to face a grinning Ryu and an amused Ray standing behind her. The grin was the last straw for her.
"What the hell is wrong with you people? Will you all please talk in front of me?!?" Katt sputtered irritably. "And to think I was worried about your injuries. Geez!"
Ryu looked so genuinely surprised that even Katt was almost taken in by his acting. "Oh? You were worried about me? That's a pleasant surprise….." The object of her earlier thoughts merely stood there, an imposing figure with an ironic smile on his face.
"S-Shut up! That was just a figure of speech!" Katt shouted and turned around so Ryu would not see her blushing. She ran off in the same direction as Nina had earlier ago while a puzzled Ryu stood there, not really sure what had happened.
"Hey, was it something I said?" He turned to ask his newfound friend. Ray simpler shrugged and smiled nonchalantly, indicating a 'that's for me to know and for you to find out' answer. Ryu growled, not hostilely and waved a goodbye to Ray while searching for a way to the rear part of the castle. Recalling the soothing words spoken to him before he was transferred to the infirmary, Ryu was definitely anxious, or rather, he was desperate for answers. One of the things he hated the most was having unanswered questions or unfinished tasks. Furthermore, these questions seemed to give him a greater indication of who he really was. So far, while traveling, he had lost consciousness twice during critical moments in a battle. Yet, when he woke up, neither his senses nor his instincts could detect any traces of danger nearby. While it is good that his companions were safe, he was afraid that instead of attacking the real threat, he himself will become the threat and wipe out his companions. That was his greatest worry currently. Had he been an assassin or perhaps a hit-man, he need not worry so much. But as a Ranger, he had taken up assignments to protect people before. Thus, all he knew was to preserve life as much as possible unless your opponent wants your blood REALLY badly. He never really wanted to fight to kill, but rather fight to subdue most of the time. In fact, the truth was that he was not really serious about fighting the Mage Knight Kendrick Stormwind. Had he gotten down to real business, the Mage-Knight would be as alive as his ancestors.
Before he knew it, he was at the rear side of the castle and was rather flabbergasted that he should find a statue of the Dragon God there, animatedly smiling a toothy smile at him like when they had first met in Hometown. "Wha-What is a statue of you doing at this kind of place?" Ryu asked, rather nonplussed.
Ladon looked slightly offended. "Hey hey hey! This is a free world ya know! There's no stopping people worshipping who they want to worship!" To Ryu, the sight was rather amusing. The visage was doing a pose of crossing its arms and looking cross, but ended up looking like a clown trying his best to look serious.
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry. So…..You told me there will be answers right?"
"Yeah."
"So…..spill."
"Hmm….Mmm…." The Ladon thought hard, or at least appeared to for several seconds before crying out "Ah!" and looked at Ryu intently.
"Yes?"
"I forgot!" Ladon laughed a deep throaty laugh, to which Ryu rolled his eyes heavenward and sighed heavily. So it is true that pranksters are the reincarnations of gods after all…..
"Hmm…I think I got it. That old geezer Time sure does catch up quick on my memory too….." The God had barely spoke that sentence when Ryu's head snapped up, looking at him keenly. "What do you wish to know?"
"Hmm…..Can you tell me more about the Berserkers? I heard you destroyed them….."
The visage took on a hard face immediately as though it was recalling something revolting. "Ah, yes. The Berserker Dragon Clan. One of the most powerful warrior clans of the Dragons. They were bestowed with the powers of magic resistance and supernatural fighting abilities, including enhanced senses and having the willpower to push the person's body into an overdrive. A normal punch can pulverize a pure granite rock wall. Everything is amplified when they go off your rocker."
"How did you destroy them?"
"Easy. I went down there and took them all out." Ladon said somewhat cautiously. Although his tone was relatively nonchalant, Ryu was sure he detected a hint of caution in his voice.
And it seemed that the caution was directed at him.
Brushing that thought aside for the time being, Ryu continued to ask questions about the gods, the Ragnarok Calendar and finally…..
"One last question. Do you know anything about my past? Who am I exactly? Who are my grandparents?"
On hearing the question, the countenance of Ladon seemed to turn pale but recovered quickly, albeit several dozen "coughs". Very suspicious indeed.
He had no time for that as a brownish-blue blur knocked into him, leaving Ryu sprawled on the ground, the his breath taken away momentarily as though someone had punched him in the gut. He got up to see a Highlander, dressed in an exotic fashion of bright cerulean and gold chains around his neck and ankles. His 'assailant' had his hair spiked up in such a fashion that it resembles an inverted icicle. He was slightly taller and a great deal lankier than Ryu. The rich and clean brown hair he had all over his body was now messed up and dirty. He looked up at Ryu and grinned, the flustered expression on his face a moment ago vanished completely.
"Ah! Would you like to help a kind, poor soul in need of aid?" The earnest look in his eyes seemed so honest that Ryu let his guard down for a moment, re-sheathing his sword. It was the job of a Ranger to help those in need anyway.
"What can I do for you?" He offered, still not totally trusting the shifty-eyed Highlander.
"Listen, I just need you for a small magic performance. My greatest act ever, the Disappearing Act! All my magic has failed me so far and some cleric has chased me all the way here to get back the money I've worked so diligently for! Even some townspeople are pursuing me as we speak! Come; let us move quickly to the castle's entrance. Maybe the guards might help me….."
Before he could say "I wouldn't count on it", Ryu found himself being dragged literally by the simian. He sighed and swinging his arm free of his grasp, began to follow the fleet-footed stranger. "I've got a bad feeling about this….."
"What's taking Ryu so long? I left him a message telling him to hurry up, since his wounds are fully healed." Katt pouted, placing her hands (or paws) on her hips. Both Nina and she were waiting outside the castle gates, which enclosed a mystical portal teleporting people from it to the castle's real entrance. The streets before them were rather empty but despite that, there was no sign of the blue-haired teenager. Nina said nothing, but was equally worried about Ryu. Although he was possibly the strongest person she had met so far, the bloody duel yesterday gave her a valid stand for anxiety and worry for his safety. Then again, from the way he fights and the recklessness of the Ranger, who wouldn't be worried?
Before she could ponder about Ryu any further, a great commotion behind her reeled in her attention like a fishing rod to a hooked fish. Both of the females turned to see a huge crowd of Winidian commoners marching like a mob, eyes darting about, all seemingly on the alert for something or someone. The look in their eyes could only be described as murderous and although they were only armed with simple clubs and knives, anybody would adhere to the saying that 'discretion is the better part of valor' in front of this blood-baying rabble. As curious as ever, Katt went up to them and began to query the source of their anger.
"Look here, lass, I'll tell you, but you best keep out of trouble. We're looking for a cursed bas'tid of a Highlander a slight bit lesser than six feet. He's killed a poor bugger who was unfortunate enuff to cross 'im. Aye, a slippery one, he is but we are gunna get 'im snd skewer his guts out of 'im!" The only man who was willing to answer Katt's question bellowed out, causing his fellow Winidians to raise their respective weapons in agreement. Katt was suddenly alert. Something felt terribly wrong. Somehow, she seemed to feel nothing but a terrible bloodlust from these normal townsfolk. The only person who did not seem to radiate dangerous intentions was the person who had so 'kindly' answered her question.
"Nina…." Her voice barely came out in a whisper as the hoi polloi suddenly stopped and slowly turned towards them. It was only then did the Woren realize that the streets were eerily empty, devoid of activity and people.
"I felt it too. It seems that we have a little problem on our hands to worry about." She replied the unspoken question of Katt's and at the same time, summoned elemental energies about her hands, which pulsed softly with power.
"Indeed, princess. It would be a great pleasure to have some fun with you and your lovely companion. However, I have already accomplished my mission here and there are…..pressing matters of the greatest urgency which require my utmost immediate attention. I would love to play with you ladies but mayhap some other time. In the meantime, why don't the both of you get acquainted with my little pet and his playmates?"
The man's coarse peasant clothing was now gone and in its place, the livery of the finest materials replacing them in an instant. Diamonds adorned his sleek black tunic like stars decorating the night sky, rubies of the purest red ornamented his otherwise plain-looking gauntlets and azure sapphires bedecked his boots. As the man turned, he revealed a face of stunning beauty and a dazzling smile and in his hand he held an obsidian-coloured sword, completed with carved runes of a bloody red upon them. He was simply suave and bewitching, but Katt and Nina managed to shake off the airy feeling and focused upon him as an adversary rather than eye-candy. He grinned again, the smile devilish yet enchanting and leapt high up into the air. As if on cue, a black shape zoomed by, carrying the enigmatic stranger away from them, leaving them for the peasant zombies and a rather large and more or less unfriendly-looking ten feet tall three-headed dog with a massive name tag that read 'Bob'.
"What kind of joke is this?" Katt shouted over the deafening roar of the 'Bob'. Nina had no time to answer as she barely dodged a blast of flame from the right head. Mustering enough energy, the Winidian girl sent a Spark spell at the monstrosity. It merely made a sound which might be taken for a laugh and bared its teeth at his attacker. He seemed to chuckle as Katt hit his left paw and simply swiped the lithe Woren away.
"Arghh!! That does it! No more Miss nice Katt!" She stood up, her fur ruffled. Katt was really angry now. No dog was going to get the best of her, however big and bad it is. She had to admit grudgingly though, that the situation was looking rather bleak. Nina's fire magic hardly warmed him up and her bow staff was as good as a rotten toothpick against him. "Ah, what the hell! Let's get down to business." She growled to herself. She wasn't some weak little kitten who could do nothing without Ryu. She was a street-wise stray cat, toughened by the dangers on the deserted streets and robber-infested alleys and no matter what, she was going to fight it out with 'Bob'.
"Ahh!" The scream came from Nina as she was forced to the ground by a ongoing column of fire from the right mouth. Katt leapt into action and swiftly carried her away as her magic shield shattered at the last moment, the fire scorching the ground below them, turning all it touched into ashes.
"Are you okay?" Katt asked and received a mild nod in reply. "It looks like we will have to team up against this flea-bitten pest." She said without really looking at Nina, her attention totally riveted by the looming 'Bob'. "Let's go!" Without even waiting for a reply, Katt rushed at the charging abomination and feinted to his left. The dog grunted and swiped to the left side, leaving his right flank open. The Woren fighter immediately seized the opportunity and swung with all her might at the right flank. This time, she was rewarded with a grunt of pain from the dog, but she was not fast enough to dodge the right paw.
As the impending doom came towards her, it suddenly stopped. She looked up to see Nina casting a "Tornado: Seal" spell on the paw while hinting frantically with her head for Katt to escape quickly. Katt obliged, but not before leaping onto Bob's back and sticking the bow staff into his head, to which the three heads immediately yelped in pain. She jumped off and ran for her life, with the dog hot on her heels. An ice wall suddenly appeared between Bob and her and she managed to make it safely to a mound as Nina slowly descended beside her.
"Nice work." Katt panted out, still trying to catch her breath. Nina nodded her approval while putting her hands on her bent knees, doing the same thing.
"There's still a lot of work to be done, especially since my ice wall is about to break in 5…4…3…2…1…" A loud crash was heard as the last parts of the glacial barricade were taken out by an enraged Bob. "And 0."
Nina quickly stood up and looked at the three-headed dog, as though she was contemplating what to do about their dire state. The klutzy impression was gone, leaving only a serious and regal-looking princess she was (or was supposed to be, in Katt's opinion). It was the first time Katt had seen her so serious though. Then again, it IS a life and death situation here and what better time than to get down to the real deal?
"Katt," Nina spoke in a careful, measured tone, as though she was still calculating her chances of success for the next attack. "On my cue, just charge forward and give the monster your most potent attack."
"WHAT?!? Did little Bobby here do something to your head? I've experienced it, you've seen it. The best my bow staff could do is tickle him. What more can another similar attack-"
"Trust me." Nina quickly cut her off. The energies gathering around her were an awesome myriad of blue, red and white. This time, the energies covered her entire body instead of her hands. As she opened her eyes, Katt could see that they were shining a brilliant blue and had no pupils. Backing away, half in awe and the other in fear, she nodded inaudibly and readied her weapon. She waited and waited as Bob came closer and closer….
"Now!" Nina shouted. Cleariing her mind of all thoughts and emotions, Katt jumped straight at the three headed fiend and raising her staff, struck down with all her might, praying that some miracle will happen.
To her surprise, the staff came down several times faster and more powerful than she expected. Her fur seemed to stand on an end as the staff swung down upon the incoming black mass. That was truly surprising. What really shocked her was upon contact, the tip of the staff appeared to explode on impact and she DEFINITELY heard a terrible howl of pain, anger and astonishment. Katt reeled back, more in shock than from the explosion she had just experienced.
"I'm sorry. Did that shocked you a bit too much, Katt? Perhaps I utilized too much power….." Nina floated next to Katt, sweat upon her brow cheeks rosier than usual and panting a bit too heavily. Even though realization dawned upon her, Katt could only dumbly nod at her Winidian friend. Once again, Nina proved to be the enigma Katt thought she was. It was weird, somehow. They had been traveling together for a few months at the least. Yet, Katt knew almost nothing about Nina except that she was a magician and a exiled princess, thanks to her black wings. She knew almost nothing about Nina's personality, her childhood, her aspirations and well, her hobbies. Was it because she did not have experience in talking about these kind of things to other people, or was it because…..
"Look out!" A voice, familiar and warm cried out. Both girls look up to see a blurry object hurtling towards them, full of heat and the rage of Bob. The fireball, reddish orange in colour somehow looked like what Hell was like for the two friends as they stood immobile, watching their impending deaths coming towards them gradually, as though time had slowed down just for them to enjoy their last moments of their lives…..
Another blur descended upon them and as quickly as it landed, it grabbed both of their hands and leapt out of harm's way. The mass of flame once again displayed its destructive power, eating greedily at the little bit of grass on the mound Katt and Nina were standing on a moment before. "Are you alright?" The two of them turned towards the owner of the voice, who had let go of their hands and stood in front of them, hands held in a fighting stance. The man was towered over them, his long, flowing blonde mane reaching down to his lower back. Katt was the first to snap out of her daze and thought hard about the familiarity of their savior's voice. "Hmm….baggy clerical garb, muscular arms, soothing tones…..Ah-ha! He must be none other than….."
"Ray Braddock!" The Woren cried out, half in triumph at solving the little riddle and half in surprise that of all people, he would be here to rescue them. This was indeed a day of surprises for her, she thought, bemused. Although she could not see it, Katt was sure that the striking man was showing a lopsided smile.
"I see you still have energy to remember such a lowly cleric as me," He said, somewhat amused. The tone of his voice soon turned serious, however. "Stay behind me. The Cerberus is too dangerous an opponent for you girls right now. Let me take care of it."
Now she was pissed. Who does he think he is? So what if he rescued them? So what if he is charismatic and….handsome? It's not like his magic of healing can do any more damage than the both of them had done earlier and that would be a few pricks and ONE bleeding head. What could he possibly do?
As the monster charged, Katt felt tension rise in her body as she readied her body to spring into action once the healer gets himself into a fix. The three pairs of yellowish canine eyes fixed themselves on Ray as they surveyed him, as though trying to determine whether he was sumptuous enough for them to share and devour. They slowed and gradually walked towards the cleric, getting so close that their dribble was almost dropping on Ray.
Then the unexpected happened.
The dog seemed to back away and Katt could not be sure, but she thought she had seen expressions of fear, doubt and loathing from the three faces of the Cerberus. As she got closer to look out of curiosity, she could catch a glimpse of Ray's eyes。
And was thoroughly shocked by what she saw.
Instead of the warm and friendly face she had seen before, Ray Braddock's features were now contorted into a mask of bloodlust and darkness. There was nothing humorous about the smile on his face as he walked towards the dog slowly, clenching an ornate and ancient sword which materialized out of nowhere. He stepped towards the terrified canine, slowly and purposefully. He seemed to be uttering something, which Katt could not understand even if she could hear him. It was some strange language and somehow, it made the fur on her body stand on an end. It seemed so….otherworldly and…..she did not really know how to describe it. The next thing she knew was that a crimson flash of light blinded her and an unearthly howl of terror, pain and….surprise could be heard. As the radiance subsided, she slowly opened her eyes and saw a smiling Ray, a complete contrast from what he looked like earlier.
"There! It's done! By the way, what are you girls doing out here anyway?" the tone of his voice was anything but hostile and insidious. The slightly taken aback girls recovered quickly and nodded affirmatively. He smiled briefly and turned to cure the villagers of their zombified states. Suddenly, a racket was heard and he saw two figures sprinting towards him. Ray had no time to dodge the runners and was knocked down by the shorter one. "What the- Who are you? Are you hurt, good sir?"
The face was literally covered with golden brown fur, as was the rest of his body. This stranger seemed to look like a Highlander. The person next to him, however, was familiar.
"Ryu! What are you doing here?" Ray asked, a shocked expression on his face. As if on cue, the villagers woke up, expressions of confusion apparent on their faces.
"Hey there, Ray! This guy here says that he needed me for his magician's Disappearing Act so here I am."
"Hear ye! Hear ye! Ladies and gentlemen! Lads and lasses! People of Winidia! You are about to witness the best magician in the region work his magic! The grand and famous Disappearing Act!" As confused as the rest of the villagers, Ray watched on in astonishment and bemusement as the Highlander set up a miniature stage, with Ryu dragged onto it. With a groan of protest, Ryu was pushed into a enormous box with a huge question mark on it. "Now, let Legacy Magnifique show you the Disappearing Act!" He waved a blue cloak over the box and seemed to mutter something which sounded like magical incantations. A column of smoke rose from the box dissolved into the air as quickly as it appeared. As the box opened, it was empty.
The astonishment was evident from the crowd, who had more or less forgot about their confusion of finding themselves waking up in the middle of the streets. Most of them were cheering and some even threw in generous amounts of gold. "Thank you very much. Now, the master magician is busy and needs to go-"
"Argh!!" A familiar voice seemed to sound from within the ground, shocking the front part of the crowd who stepped back in fear. Had the magic offended some unknown God of the depths?
Their questions were quickly answered as a blue-haired head managed to pop itself out of a part of softer ground. Nina gasped and fluttering over to the dazed but otherwise unhurt Ryu, she proceeded to dig enough space for the Ranger's arms to come out. Katt came not long after and the two girls pulled him out. Ryu dusted his clothes and folded his arms, watching amusingly as an angry mob advanced upon the trickster menacingly.
"H-Hang on there, ladies and gentlemen. I meant for him to appear there! Yes, it wasn't just some stupid trick involving a dug hole and-oops." Sten covered his mouth as he realized he had given away himself. He turned tail and ran, only to see stars and darkness swarming over him like a cloud of pestilence……..
Sorry for the weak ending. It is all I can manage after a tight and busy schedule this last few months. Please read and review! Hopefully you guys can recommend this story to your friends or something and do give me comments on my writing, the ups and downs of it. Thank you and sorry for the late update!! '''