Breath of Fire 2: The Novelisation

by ReforgedDestiny

A Destined Child. A Dark God. A band of unexpected heroes. Follow the adventures of Ryu Bateson and his friends as they travel the world to unravel the mysteries of the present, the past and their destinies.

12. Chapter 7: A fairytale Prince

Hi to all readers! For those of you who have read all those unworthy chapters before, sorry about the mistake of making Nina's eyes blue. I've checked some pictures and found out they were green! XX Do please correct me if I'm wrong on this and I'll continue with green first until someone rectifies my mistake. Thanks!

To the reviewers of my last chapter:

Jazzem: Sorry about that. Maybe I need to pay for that shock I gave you or something. Haha just kidding. Guess there are some ideas that just won't go away in my head so I wrote that part of the detail down in Ryu's POV (sort of). Hope you continue to read my silly fic and thanks for your compliments! (though I don't really deserve it.)

Dragon Man 180: Thanks for the review. Glad to know that my five months' absence is being missed a little by some people. To answer your question, Katt was injured. She was slashed across the abdomen by a Creon and had to rest in the shelters, thus ruling her out of the fight. Thanks again and be sure to question anything that is confusing to you. I'll be glad to answer them

Tsuki Yume/Bluedove: Thanks for the correction! I'll try to watch my grammar and wording more carefully in the future! I'm not too sure what he can be called though…Perhaps you can enlighten me on this? Thanks!

Now, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I know business's bad, but please don't sue a poor student who doesn't own Capcom or Breath of Fire…

Breath of Fire 2: Chapter 7-A fairytale Prince, his unlikely lover and the Berserker again

"No, no, leave it there, Miss! Don't touch that!" Bow yelped in despair as the Woren eyed the expensive-looking vase curiously and poked at it obtrusively. "I know you just recovered from the effects of your wound, but that doesn't mean you can start touching things that don't belong to you...Whoa!" The antique landed on the outstretched arms of Ryu, who managed to save it in the nick of time as the last poke sent it over the table. Bow heaved a sigh of relief while Katt apologized profusely to Ryu.

"You have to learn to stop being so hyperactive, little kitten." Ryu grinned and he was replied with a playful smack on the back of his head. Putting on a thoughtful pose, he mused out loud: "Considering the fact that your help was redundant in building things, I'll let it slide."

"Shut it, Ranger. I'll let your head roll if you make another wisecrack." Katt threatened menacingly with her staff. Ryu backed off, much to the mirth of the audience of their little show.

"You are all in a light-hearted mood, I see," Ray stepped into Ryu's rented apartment, his smile present on his face. There was something strange about his behaviour, something Ryu just could not put his finger on ever since the battle with the monster-turtle. Ray had become more serious and brooding compared to what he was before. There was a strange glint in his eyes whenever he spoke with him and the Ranger half-suspected that his newfound powers were the cause of this. Despite that, Ray never hesitated in talking with everyone and his mood was cheerful enough, unless he was alone.

"Well, I think we all feel much better resting in a comfy place rather than running like chickens in a dark underground cavern, fighting a stupid reptile." Ryu grinned painfully at the memory. The four bruised ribs and his various cuts and gashes were still a little sore and he almost wished that he was permanently staying in his house. "Not only that, I heard the repairs for Niro's house has been completed by the mayor, Mark and Tim. They are pretty amazing, considering that they only needed one week to rebuild and even upgrade the house."

"That aside, buddy, I really hope you can find the thief soon, even if I sound selfish..." Bow lowered his head, ears drooping slightly. He hated being cooped up in a dilapidated house with an old man who would not stop rambling, even if a friendly giant armadillo was there. "And to think I was a Ranger before all these happened..."

"Geez, dog, stop with the tears already." Bow looked up to see the green-eyed Woren looking at him in a disapproving manner with her hands on her hips. "Just trust Ryu, alright? When has he ever proved himself to be untrustworthy? Guys like you, crying...You should be ashamed of yourself! Sheesh..."

Bow was shocked. No one had ever talked to him like this before, not even his closest friends and here was this particular Woren who had just reprimanded him like she was his mother or something. Feeling a strange anger in his chest, Bow just scowled at her and sat down, his cloak and disguise forgotten. He had worn those to avoid detection by the guards at the gates of Hometown upon hearing that Ryu had come back, only to be disappointed that the thief had given them the slip yet again.

"Cool it, Katt. Bow, you too. Don't fight among ourselves now; that's the worst thing to happen, especially when we're not completely safe from danger. There is no telling when we might be attacked, even if this is Hometown." Ryu stated seriously. Damn it...If only he knew of their intentions and what they wanted with him and his friends...He began thinking of possibilities of why the demons might want to have anything to do with them, but just could not come up with a plausible answer.

The Woren and Grass Runner thankfully remained silent and Sten, knowing better than to try to be clever, also clammed up. Ryu sighed. Suddenly the silence seemed so alien to him ever since Sten had joined the party. He was about to get up and tell the rest to meet at Niro's house when-

"Ryu? There's a...girl waiting for you downstairs, dear. Said she wanted to meet you no matter what." Mrs. Pullman's muffled voice came from behind the door. Usually, Ryu would associate 'boring' with middle-aged Ellen Pullman, his landlady, but the news caused his interest to perk. Who could it be?

Before he could ponder further, the door opened without warning and a girl stood in the doorway. She wore skimpy clothing which left little to the imagination, showing off her figure, legs and cleavage and her hair was the fiery red color her clothes were. In fact, everything about the girl was red except for her skin. She smiled at Ryu charmingly who smiled back and said nothing, waiting for the girl to speak of the purpose of her visit.

"Ryu Bateson," Her voice, though youthful, oozed the sex appeal she had shown. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sanamo and Gran needs your help desperately."

"Gran? I might be able to help, but who's Gran?" The blue-haired teen could not keep the confusion out of his voice. Before he could ask any further, the girl chanted and Ryu suddenly felt nauseous. His familiar surroundings faded and all he saw were bright colors around him, ever-changing. He felt as though he was doing several thousand back-flips in the span of a few seconds and closed his eyes in an attempt to shut out the excruciating pain. Abruptly, he felt his feet land on something solid and the pain began to fade away, as did the colors. Ryu opened his eyes and was surprised to find himself in a small hut of some kind. The walls were full of remarkable drawings and diagrams, most of which he could not figure out. He did notice a small stone idol sitting on a table that was familiar to him.

"Sinsilharia? Goddess of shamans? So you people are shamans..." Ryu spoke, his voice wobbly. He still could not shake off the effects of the Portal spell.

"I'm sorry. I just can't master the spell well, but Gran sensed your power somehow and wanted your help." Sanamo bowed and apologized. For all that 'sex appeal', this girl's innocence just makes her more attractive to men, he thought amusingly.

"Never mind that, Sana. At least the young man is here." Ryu turned and met the owner of the voice. She was an elderly woman ailing with age, the long and ragged white hair evidence of his assumption. She was shorter than Sana by at least two feet and held a staff, intricately carved with foreign writings of some sort. What surprised Ryu was that this woman was walking with an authority no one can ignore. That is, if they can see her first.

"Sana is a fire shaman, boy, and since you are the strongest one I can sense now, I would request your aid in helping me complete the sacred shamanic 'Union' with Sana.

"U-Union? What the heck? I'm too young! What in world are you talking about? Where is this place?" Ryu shouted out of confusion. The old woman chose to ignore his first statement and remained silent. Exasperated yet curious, Ryu nodded his agreement and stood on the part of the floor with a shamanic symbol. Sana stood on the other and the elder shaman began to chant. Ryu felt the hairs on the back of his arms rise as shamanic magic filled the air, surrounding and covering everything in the room. He could feel a presence, warm and delicate but stranger to him trying to merge with him and become one with his spirit.

That was when it happened.

Ryu felt another entity within his body struggling to burst out and it did, repelling the alien spirit back to where it belonged. Unable to hold the entity in, it burst out and seemed to cover Ryu, who strangely felt uncomfortable but painless. Taking this as a sign that the 'Union' had failed, Ryu opened his eyes...

And felt as though the whole world was shaking. He fell to his feet as the assimilation of the entity was complete and a burst of energy, both whitish-blue and red came out of his body, striking the room in different directions like the swords of the skies. Everything that was struck was burned to a crisp and the house caught fire rapidly.

"By Sinsilharia, what have I awaken?" The witch-woman whispered in horror. Ryu could barely hear it as he watched both shamans scramble out of the house helter-skelter before it collapsed on them. Ryu ran after them, and to find a sharp pain on his skull and darkness overcoming him...

---

"Gran, what should we do? What if he's dead? What if someone notices? What if-"

"Child, I beseech you to calm your nerves. Such a being of raw power will not die just like this and yes, someone will notice." The elderly shaman gave a sigh. "Looks like we will have to move before he wakes up..."

As she finished her sentence, the remnants of their house shattered with an explosion. The shamanic duo backed away in fear as a man, covered in soot and dust from head to toe stood up amongst the charred rubble.

He was laughing.

It wasn't the maniacal laugh or a malicious one which the old woman had expected. It was melodious, so full of cheer that it seemed almost impossible to find any wickedness in the person before her. He walked slowly to them and grinned before saying: "Let's get away from this place before someone decides to investigate. I'll find another home for you somehow. How does that sound?"

She was speechless. Here was a person whom she had almost killed and instead of lashing out at them, he chose to help them instead! Nodding her agreement mutely at his suggestion, the three of them made the way down the mountain path while the sun hung high up in the sky.

---

"So, you are telling me you get kidnapped by some girl-"

"Not kidnapped, Katt. Just pulled along to help."

"-unleashed some power within yourself through this 'Union' thingy-"

"I was surprised to say the least."

"Blew up a house and almost died? And yet you want to help these two? Did the falling beam knock your head a little too hard?" Katt finished as she looked at the pair of shamans sitting at the new table Niro had ordered from the Capitan carpenters, sending them one of her trademark death glares.

"I think we have to help them. A 'Union' seems to require more shamans than just one and they are now homeless, you wouldn't have the heart to turn them away, would you?"

Katt turned back and glared at her victim who winced visibly. "I think you should see a doctor about the bump on your head. Are you nuts? What if their 'Union' crap fails again? Last time it was only a house and a small patch of forest on Mount Dorgin. The next time it could turn into a great fire of houses if we let them do their stuff in Niro's house!" With each sentence, the Woren got more agitated and waved her arms about in an exaggerated manner.

"...Alright, I'm sorry. I'll ask the mayor for help. Maybe they can build a smaller house that is impervious to fire and explosions." Ryu stood up and tried to calm her down. Katt pouted and turned away from him. "Hey, I'm really sorry, alright? I'll go ask for help." His tone always had a calming effect when he spoke more softly to people and it worked with the hard-headed Woren somehow, who snorted her approval and walked away. He turned to the two shamans and apologized for his friend's behavior and turned to find Rand at the doorway, grinning from ear to ear.

"That sounded like a husband and wife fight, if you ask me. The little kitty never gives in so quickly you know." The armadillo laughed heartily but froze when he saw Katt's tail stiffen like ice from behind another entrance.

"Oops." Was all he could manage to say before a blushing Katt rushed out of the room and tried to murder Rand with her bow staff. Ryu sighed. One way or another, something crazy always happens with Katt around.

'But...'he thought playfully as he watched Katt chase the big armadillo around, 'she sure is fun to have around...'

He smiled and left the thought at that. That was when Ray interrupted him.

"Ryu, my friend. I'm sad to say this but its time for me to leave."

"Leave? For where?"

"St.Evrai requires my services more urgently somewhere else, namely the western regions. It seems that they have the intention to strengthen the blessings of St.Evrai upon me and give me the rank of a Paladin. Furthermore, the sightings of demons have increased tremendously there. I'm required to leave for that region as soon as possible and I wish to teach the Rejuvenation spell to one of your friends."

"Ahh...Why not? Let me think..." He looked about, silently contemplating his choices. Then his eyes finally landed on the raven-winged girl writing something. "Hey Nina! Could you come over for a moment?"

The Winidian mage straightened up and walked towards them, curiosity written all over her face. "What is it?"

"Do you think you could learn the Rejuvenation spell? Sorry about calling you over without any warning but...I thought you could use it better than anyone else here right now."

"I don't know...healing magic was never my forte. Always flunked those tests Master Yoji gave me..." Looking at the slightly disappointed look on Ryu's face, her hesitant tone quickly changed. "But I could give it a try I guess..."

"Then it's settled." Ray replied shortly and staring deep into Nina's emerald orbs, his own eyes glowed a bright yellow. Soon after, he tear his gaze away as the light ended, with the sorceress slightly blushing and feeling a little dizzy over the intense gaze and transfer of knowledge. "Alright, that's done Ryu, Nina. I take my leave." With a friendly wave, he chanted a spell and teleported out of the place while Ryu and Nina looked on.

---

"You would think this region should have some sort of difference from the last one, but all we see are the same things. Same type of trees, same grass, same sky..."

"I get your point already Katt. I know the journey to SimaFort is boring, but that was what the last traveler we asked suggested we go to." Ryu drawled lazily. The traveling party consisting of Ryu, Nina, Katt, Rand and Sten had taken a boat to the western region and were heading to SimaFort, the capital city of the Creeping Clan. The people of the Creeping Clan were more commonly called as the Frog Clan, as the meaning of its original name had faded in the mists of time. Truth to be said, the entire race looked, ate and acted like frogs, thus earning them their new race name. The Hoppa de Tapeta family, which ruled the Clan currently, built its reputation on the pride of being law enforcers who deal with criminals as they deem fit and Ryu had high hopes of finding the real crook there, caught and ready to be dealt with. He continued walking and somehow, he felt extremely uneasy, as though something, or someone evil is about to make its appearance. Watching his Dragon Tear flash an evil black color, Ryu tensed and prepared himself for combat.

"Relax, my good man. It's only me, Andaroy Darksoul, at your service." The man appeared out of the shadows like an unsolicited phantom of darkness. Wearing a cheerful smile and an all-black outfit completed with a dark red cloak, he stopped in front of the party.

"You! You're going to pay for that-that thing you did, bastard!" Katt's bow staff was swung with all her might, but Andaroy merely smiled wider and grabbed her weapon with his left hand, effortlessly halting its attack. The shock on her face registered just as much on her friends.

"You know, little kitty, I would prefer a peck on the cheek as a payment for my little kiss." Andaroy winked and waved his right hand, simultaneously letting go of his left. An invisible hand seemed to hit the Woren and she had to settle for a clumsy landing on the land bare with grass. He laughed, a sound which seemed to tinkle in the air, a musical vibe which would have been the most beautiful sound to the adventurers had it not been from the man before them. He turned to stare at Ryu, who had calmly drawn his sword instead of charging like a madman the last time they had met. "Now that's a change, Brood-ling. A child of the Ashkael-Krohn not attacking one of his most hated enemies? I thought you were strong enough to resist all those notions about controlling your emotions and powers."

Ryu hated that smirk. He hated the arrogance in this adversary and hated that he was powerless to destroy him. But most of all, he hated not knowing what he was talking about. "Ashkael-Krohn? Brood-ling? What are you talking about, Darksoul?"

Andaroy smirked again, this time victoriously. Oh, how he hated that blasted egotism! But what could he do? The last time they had met, Ryu had already used his most powerful technique in his Fukyuu no Ten'un-Ashkael Swordplay, but all he could do was manage to confirm the death of his ten-year long companion. He felt rage trying to overcome his logic like the ancient entity in his body trying to assimilate him but he managed to hold it back enough to speak to ask him once again. "Darksoul, tell me what I don't know and I'll fight a duel to the death with you. That's what you want, isn't it?" Looking at the unfailing smirk faltering, Ryu silently cheered. So his enemy had a grudge against him after all. "Speak, Andaroy Darksoul. At least I'll die a contented man while you have the pleasure of killing me."

To his utter dismay, the warrior simply laughed and tossed his head imprudently, letting the sudden gust blow at his perfectly silky blonde locks. His laughing fit continued for an impossibly long time until Ryu finally thought he had become even more insane and insidious, if that was even possible.

Eyes flashing, Andaroy turned to look at the Ranger. "Fool! Do you think I'll fall for such a childish trick?" There was a finally an allusion of anger in his eyes and although it was well-hidden, Ryu mentally patted himself on the back. He had most probably hit a sensitive spot, although he did not know what it is.

His victorious joy was short-lived as the wisp of fury disappeared like a burning torch placed in water. "For now, Ryu Bateson, all I can say is that Ashkael-Krohn has made the same mistake he made five centuries ago. That old fool who had destroyed your half-ancestors by his own hand will soon realise that the bloody legacy lives on in you. You cannot escape your fate, Brood-ling!" With another laugh, hauntingly melodious yet chilling, the lavishly dressed man faded like a ghost into the night.

Katt, who had recovered from the force that had repelled her stood up and swore loudly in her native language. The confusion on the face of hers and her companions was not lost on Ryu, however, as he thought darkly about the purposes of this 'Ashkael-Krohn'. He gave up after futile attempts to try and link anything familiar with that name and smiled. 'At least I was able to get some information. The question is, now that I know I'm involved in one way or another with the disturbing appearances of demons, what am I going to do now?'

He mentally slapped himself. Now was not the time to worry everyone else. Now was the time to do whatever he needed to do. Instead of cracking his head over the past and the future, why not concentrate on the present?

Satisfied with his own answer, he turned and smiled at his friends. "Let's go guys. Let's make our way to SimaFort."

"But Ryu, What about Ashkael-Krohn? Aren't you the least bit worried and curious about it?" The look of Nina's face was sofull og concernthat Ryu almost gave in to the temptation to start thinking about what his new nemesis had told them. He shelved them into a hidden closet of his mind quickly.

"Don't worry, Nina," Then he turned to the rest "Katt, Rand and Sten. There's nothing to worry about. Right now all we have to do is capture this thief and help to clear Bow's name. Isn't that the most logical thing to do now? So all we need to do is to concentrate on getting to SimaFort, find the thief and complete our task at hand!" Ryu raised a clenched fist as though to emphasize on his little speech. "So why not just forget about all that and concentrate on the present?" Looking at the surprised facades of his friends, Ryu faltered. Did he say something weird or awkward?

Katt was the first one to answer his question: "Yeah! Let's do it, guys! I want to forget about that stupid jerk anyway. Gives off all those bad vibes. Creepy!"

Probably not, an amused voice answered in the back of his head as Ryu laughed with the rest of his companions. That laughter did not last long, as they feel the earth shaking slightly at different intervals. The next thing they knew, A green object, or rather creature stood in front of them, towering over all as his crimson orbs turned to look at them. "Bonjour, adventurers. Is it possible that you can help me out of my predicament?"

At that time, Ryu and his companions could only think of one thing to say.

"AHHHHH!"

---

"What? Jean Hoppa de Tapeta? You are the prince of SimaFort?" Sten's incredulity could not be veiled as the party found themselves on the giant frog, hopping towards the notorious Nimufu Tower. "Yeah right, and I'm the future King of HighFort…"

Rand poked Sten in the stomach, who gave a reasonable yelp of pain for being poked by such a large finger. "You shouldn't doubt his words, Sten. From what I heard, only the rarest few of the Frog Clan people retain the powers of their ancestors and the Crown Prince of SimaFort is officially named as one of them."

"Fine, fine! Geez...And now we have to help his Highness reverse some stupid curse that puts you in this state permanently?"

"Yes, Monsieur Sten. I'm unable to revert to my normal self without the cure." The huge frog replied in a deep rumbling tone that suggested more friendliness belying the frightening size and voice of their current mode of transport.

"But we don't have time for this! We need to get to SimaFort to find a goddamned thief and bring her back to Hometown so Bow doesn't need to hide in the shadows anymore!" Katt protested. Although she wasn't exactly 'friends' with Bow Doggie, she thought that Ryu should be more concerned with more 'pressing matters' instead of helping an oversized amphibian regain his form, which is literally just a less oversized amphibian.

"Yeah, but haven't you thought about the fact that helping him to change back would actually be a good thing, Katt?" The soft and melodious voice of a certain Winidian princess floated across to the Woren, who turned and gave her a puzzled look. "If you think closely, Monsieur Hoppa de Tapeta is a prince. If we help him lift his curse, wouldn't the King be grateful and in turn help us find the real thief?"

"That's right, Katt. That was exactly what I had in mind. Furthermore, it wouldn't hurt to explore this region a little before heading to SimaFort. By the way, thanks Nina." Ryu cheerfully said and the black-winged girl answered with a sweet smile. Katt, who was looking on all the time, felt a slight tugging at her heart. 'Geez...Why is it that everyone can explain this kind of stuff so well? And why am I feeling so hurt about anyway?'

Her thoughts were interrupted by Sten, who nudged her slightly to indicate that they had reached the witch's tower. Katt had developed a grudging respect for the Highland warrior ever since his awesome display of skills and magic. She had let him call her by her name instead of the embarrassing title of 'Mistress', but perhaps Sten was still a little wary of her bow staff. That would explain that cautious yet humorous look on his face when he had prodded her slightly. "If you would stop day-dreaming, Miss Meow, we are here."

Or maybe he was no long wary after all.

Katt mock-glared at Sten and laughed when he stumbled back at the sight of her raising her staff. Rand shook his head in exasperation and followed the Ranger and princess into the tower.

"Merci, I will wait here for the good news, my friends." The frog croaked and Ryu gave him a thumbs-up before heading into the tower. As he pushed the doors open, a blurry shape hurtled towards him and sensing danger, Ryu drew his sword in a sweeping arc, beating back whatever had tried to get too friendly with him.

The creature was a strange one. It had only one eye, much like the legendary Cyclopes found in the eastern regions. It had the same number of horns on its head and its skin was a sickly green. Although it was shorter than Ryu, the stockier build more than made up for its disadvantage in height. The sharp fangs, covered with dribble also seemed to prove the point that they were not to be taken lightly.

"Green Ogres." The booming voice belonging to a giant armadillo sounded. He cracked his knuckles He stared down at them as though a human would stare at a cockroach repulsively. "Leave 'em to me, my friends." Go ahead and find out where that witch is holed up in." Without waiting for a reply, he charged at the twelve green-skinned monsters, fists waving.

"Let's go!" Ryu shouted over the battle cries of his large friend and his opponents. As the layout of the tower's ground floor was unsophisticated, he was able to find the flight of stairs leading up to their objectives and wasted no time in climbing it.

Several men appeared, wielding weapons of all sorts, blocking the stairway with the intention of stopping the Ranger's advancement by presence or by force. Judging from their zombie-like state and the way they were brandishing their weapons, Ryu safely concluded that they were mind-controlled in some way or another. 'I have to end this quickly.' Ryu thought as he dodged a sickle aiming to take his head home as a trophy. Drawing his dirk from its sheath strapped at his right calf, the warrior used the fastest technique he had learned.

Nina was puzzled, but not as horrified. Why did Ryu stop? The weapons were all descending upon him quickly, determined to slice him down to Hell and yet he was not moving. A few thousand alarms seemed to ring in her head and she reacted, the indescribable horror of having her friend taken down in such a place engraving itself into her mind. Just before she could summon a spell, the winged sorceress saw a streak of blue, red and white zooming past the men. The next thing she saw were the men laying on each step while the very person of her thoughts was still heading up. Judging from the faint grunts and the sound of metal against human skin, Nina was not as sure as to whether to help or stop him massacring these people. As she watched Katt and Sten run up after him, Nina snapped out of her thoughts and flew up.

'Is it the Berserker that has taken over him?' That thought was nagging her mind, a terrifying concept that her friend might not be able to recognize the innocent from the guilty or friend from foe. Anxiety prompted her to increase her speed and she nearly hit her head on the ceiling at the fifth and top floor. Hearing a familiar voice chuckle at her inelegant movement, relief overtook all her other feelings except for that slight bit of anger and she could not resist pouting at her blue-headed friend.

"What are you laughing at?"

"What else can I be laughing at?" The mischievous glint in his eyes did not go unseen and Nina just raised her eyebrows, setting off his little laughing fit again.

'Okkayy, this time I'm really getting infuriated.' Nina thought angrily. There she was worrying about Ryu and all he did was laugh at her? How dare he...

Looking at the frown on her pretty face, Ryu finally stopped and opted for a safer smile instead. "Sorry. I didn't mean to rush off like that, but I thought time was of the essence so I just used the Shippou Kaze no Awai technique."

"And...?"

Ryu was confounded this time. "And what?"

"Aren't you supposed to apologize for something else?" the princess crossed her arms, the frown still visible on her features.

"Huh?"

"...Never mind." Nina bristled. What was wrong with her? Usually she doesn't get all that upset over something so trivial. Although it was rare for her to have such...unsightly moments, she usually laughs it off embarrassingly with her Magic School friends and tossed such matters into the shadier corners of her memory.

So why was she angry in the first place that Ryu, whether he was truly clueless or not, did not act contrite at all?

The luxury of time for contemplating such thoughts was lost for her as Ryu turned and kicked down the door which led to the room of Nimufu the Witch. His friends followed him through without a word, though a certain black-winged girl still had that unwavering pout on.

The room was huge, to say the least. Furnished with luxurious furniture and bright purple satin on the walls, pillars and beams, there was also a delicious aromatic scent that enticed the noses of Ryu and Sten, seeming to cloud their senses. Their faces took on a dreamy look and both of them walked like a puppet towards a large bed covered with purple and red silk. A bed fit for a queen.

The two males of the group walked as though they were in a trance. Well, technically they were, considering the fact that Nina felt her feathers ruffle a bit at the use of powerful mind-control magic being emanated throughout the entire room. Realisation dawned on her and she fired at the lavish bed with a bolt of lightning...

...Only to have it repelled and have an additional high-pitched laugh thrown back at her. She dodged nimbly, barely avoiding her own electrical assault and turned to face the person responsible for the failure of her Thunder spell.

The woman lying on the bed with her head propped up on a pillow stared lazily at her. She had velvety shoulder-length purple hair which seemed to shimmer even without the slightest ray of light. Her eyelids were lined heavily with mascara and the cheeks powdered with an impossible amount of blush showed that she was no amateur in the department of dolling herself up. Stretching lazily, she smiled cattily at the two girls as Ryu and Sten marched robotically towards her.

"Thank you, girls for bringing me such wonderful...catches. I suppose I could congratulate both of you for getting past all my overly-friendly slaves. Now...would you like a quick trip to the bottom of the tower or would you like to have a little match with me, hmm?"

"I suppose you are Nimufu," Katt began slowly. She had gotten a bit livid by the fact that this woman actually used and controlled men so that they can do her dirty work. Without waiting for any indication of an answer to her rhetorical question, she charged towards the lilac-haired girl...

...And smacked into an invisible wall promptly. She hissed and swung wildly at the wall in a series of complex moves. The speed and force of her attacks were so great such that there was a brief look of anxiety on the witch's face. The barrage ended soon enough, but the barrier unwaveringly stood.

"My dears, perhaps you could be a little more serious about attacking me. I can hardly see a dent in my magic." The witch laughed. Katt and Nina winced visibly. Although they had not tried everything within their power to shatter the protective shield around the bed and their friends, they knew that destroying it would require far more power than they had at the moment.

"Oww..." Ryu rubbed his head. He felt as though something blunt had hit his head really hard as the drowsiness had not subsided yet. He stood up and steadying himself, decided to survey his surroundings.

The place was breathtakingly beautiful and mystifying. Flowers seemed to cover most of the grassy land he was standing on and the grass was perfectly trimmed such that it seemed a perfect substitute for the comfortable mattresses of a bed. A water fountain, shaped like a female winged angel, stood above everything else, the slight splashing of water serving only to add to the mystery and etherealness of the place. Fragrances of flowers seem to flood Ryu's senses as he stumbled onto an artfully laid marble pavement.

"Where is this? Am I in Heaven or something? The last thing I remembered was entering Nimufu's room with them..."

A laugh, oddly familiar and enchanting sound made its way into Ryu's ears, who turned and saw the divine visage he had seen earlier when he had defeated Rakros.

"Goddess Tyr! But how...Why...What am I doing here?"

"This is only but a dream, child." The goddess replied with an ever benevolent smile. This time, she was dressed in an ankle-length one-piece dress, made of the purest blue satin. It shimmered like the sea when the rays of the Sun shine upon it as she walked towards the confounded Ranger. "I sense that your head is boggled by concepts and thoughts alien to you. I only have time for a few questions, before I disappear again, Brood-ling."

There it was again! Yet another unfamiliar term that he had been called by! However, he decided to wait on that this time round. Wondering why an ageless goddess like her not having enough time and seeing the sad look on her face, Ryu quickly came to a decision.

"What was that about the Evolution you informed me about in my first encounter with you?"

The smile faded. Was it his imagination, or had the sky darkened just a little bit?

"Though I do not wish to tell you as much, but the time will come when you have to learn about this anyway." She paused, an unseen pain visible in her eyes. "Evolution is the stage of when your powers have matured enough to set off a transformation."

"Transformation?"

"The ability to turn into the most feared creatures during ancient times. In your Clan-The Dragon Clan, there were some who could transform into huge dragons of power at will. Your first transformation took place in the Winidia Forest while your second was against the Terrapin monster in the deeper caverns of Capitan."

Ryu nodded. At least he understood why he had blacked out twice without knowing what happened. "How about my lineage?"

"Don't you alreadyknow that you are a Dragon Clan member?"

"No, goddess. My ties with the Berserker Dragon Clan-" Eh stopped abruptly as the features on Tyr contorted and twisted into one of fear and loathing, as though she was recalling something revolting. "Is there something wrong, Goddess Tyr? Why is it that you fear them so much?" Narrowing his eyes as he recalled seeing the same reaction from Ladon, he continued: "Why is it that even you gods pale upon hearing the name of Berserkers?"

The immortal turned only so much for him to see her pained smile. "That is not for me to answer, child of the Brood. They are a powerful faction of the Dragon Clan, though I know only what I've said. Perhaps Ladon will be charitable enough to provide you with more explanations. My half must no longer interfere in the affairs of dragons or humans."

"Your half? What half is there? Tyr! Answer me!" Ryu shouted. The flowers, which had seemed so vibrant, were now wilting their lives away. The marble path was slowly corrupted by the color of the night and Tyr no longer look like the youthful beauty she was. Despite the appalling changes occurring around her, the goddess smiled and shook her head sadly as a reply to the Ranger's questions.

"Before I go, Ryu, I can tell you that your consciousness is not lost. Another separate entity has taken over your body temporarily and if you concentrate hard enough, you will be able to regain control."

"Heh...Is that one of the bonus effects of an Evolution?"

The goddess gave no answer, only the desolate upward curve on her mouth. "I'm sorry." With that confusing statement, she left, taking her crumbling garden with her and leaving Ryu in darkness once more. Although he was confused by the abrupt apology, Ryu decided to do as the goddess had suggested, although he did not really know the meaning of the word 'concentration'. Did it mean trying to think hard about getting his body back? No, definitely not. He had tried that already several times and the last attempt knocked his spirit out cold.

Then what did she mean?

'Maybe it should be the other way round...' Instead of concentrating on wanting to regain control, Ryu tried to recall the time when he had went berserk on Kendrick Stormwind in Winidia. He remembered not knowing anything and not being distracted by anything other than the thirst for battle. That was the time when he probably seemed like another person. Although he could remember the vague details of the battle itself, the fact that his mind was devoid of all thought was clear. Maybe if he could just do that...

---

"Nina, can you try that trick against Bob again? It just might work."

The slightly panting sorceress shook her head in disapproval and was on the move once more as the witch began to fire numerous beams of purple fire at the duo. "The witch doesn't have that much power to erect such a powerful barrier. There must be something that is aiding her and fuelling her power. Katt, can you try to distract her for a while? I need to gather my senses to feel the medium of magic."

"I'll try!" The Woren steeled herself and began her barrage of attacks on the barrier again. Another beam of fire zipped past Katt, slightly singing her fur and she was off, dodging again and again. 'Damned! All I can manage now is avoiding those dastardly magic missiles. Hurry, Nina!'

"Heh! Do you girls think I'm blind and deaf? I can hear everything clearly from where I stand. First, I'll just take down the little black bird over there..." She licked her lips and sent an intense round of firing at the searching sorceress. She cried out in pain as a bolt hit her on her right wing and she fell to the ground. The shrill laugh of triumph and the smell of smoke was enough to tell Katt that Nina's plan had failed miserably. For the first time, she felt panic. Here was an opponent who cannot be touched by magic or weapon and all she could do was jump about like a monkey, trying to avoid getting any smoking patches on her body.

Just as she was able to lose hope, she heard a shriek of horror from her antagonist. Deciding to take a risk and see what the woman had screamed about, she was pleasantly surprised by a feral-looking blue-haired teenager of sixteen years, who had sprinted his way to the centre pillar of the room. Drawing his sword at a terrifying speed, he cleaved the pillar into two, cutting open part of the ceiling in process. In a fluid and swift motion, Ryu grabbed something that was sticking out from the debris and started to pull.

"NO! Slave, stop it! Stop this at once!" the lilac-haired witch, who looked to be in her early twenties cried. In desperation, she concentrated all her attacks on Ryu. Katt gasped as she watched Ryu convulse slightly upon the impact. But what happened next had never left her memory as long as she could remember.

A feral growl that should have came from a primeval, powerful creature came from the Ranger instead as he shrugged off all twelve beams of the violet fire that had hit him and turned to glare at the witch with such a ferocity that even Katt knew better than to get closer to him.

'That look...It's just like the time when he fought with Stormwind and turned into the bluish dragon...' Katt thought in fear. Ryu's eyes were dilated and seemed incapable of showing any emotions at all. They were so deep that Katt felt as though she will be falling through a bottomless pit if she gazed into them for a second longer than she should. It was as though Ryu was not-well, was not Ryu anymore. He was someone far more superior, more powerful...and more unfeeling.

With an ear-shattering roar, the Berserker pulled out the weapon that had been stuck in the floor with a hefty pull. Although the hilt was as plain as plain can be save for obsidian covering on both sides, the blade itself was exquisite. It seemed to shimmer and shine, reflecting a delightful mixture of silver and red simultaneously as Ryu turned the katana slowly to examine it. It was only two-thirds of the length of his primary weapon but looked lethal enough to steal the life force of his adversaries. The pommel itself was made of an unexceptionally large gem which seemed to emit a humming sound together with its unnaturally bright red glow. As Ryu tested the edge of the katana, a row of whitish runes suddenly appeared on the hilt, displaying a language the Ranger did not know.

"Y'all alright? I felt a tremor-By Namanda! Is that Ryu?" The armadillo, covered in greenish blood and a few cuts and bruises had crashed through the doorway which restricted a comfortable access. He was shocked by the facial expression Ryu had, or rather, the lack thereof. Indeed, Rand had not known Ryu for that long and the time where he had to help fix Niro's house was not spent traveling with his blue-haired friend. There were to few facts and too many mysteries about the teenager who had defeated Baba-one of the most ferocious fighters in Coursair-without even a droplet of sweat visible on his brow.

Ryu nodded, acknowledging the arrival of Rand and drawing his long-sword, he swept both blades down in a 45 degrees arc at the shield.

It shattered without as much as a whine from the witch, who silently crumpled like her barrier from the impact caused by Ryu's attack. She tried to stand up and conjure another spell, only to be stopped by a dagger held against her throat.

"It ends here, Miss." Sten's familiar voice rang out. His breathing was ragged and he was panting heavily, as though he had just run a four-mile race. "Well then, now that we have all calmed down, we hope you can co-operate with us, Miss Nimufu..."

He had hardly finished when a certain Ranger seemed to pop up behind the witch, his eyes full of anger and murderous intent. The monkey-man quickly grabbed Nimufu around her waist and leapt out of harm's way as the deadly long-sword descended upon them. Sten was puzzled. Why did Ryu want her dead, especially when they needed her help to find a cure for Prince Jean?

"What the hell is wrong with you, Ryu? Snap out of it!" Sten shouted, only to have his plea land on deaf ears as his friend charged him with a thrust for his right shoulder. Dodging and feinting, Sten could hardly keep up with his deadly accurate, fast and powerful strokes. 'Damn it! I gotta admit, Dragon-Boy here is powerful...If only I can find an opening..."

He found none as he tried all sorts of feints and tactics to distract him from attacking, but the battle-crazed Ryu fell for nothing. Sten parried yet another disarming slash and this time it worked. The blow was so strong that one of his Zip daggers flew out of his hands while the other was dangling from his fingers. He watched helplessly as his death descended onto him in the form of a long-sword...

...Which was denied by a panicky Woren's bow staff and a purple and grey round mass, parrying Ryu's strike and knocking him away respectively. Sten heaved a sigh of relief and stood up, pulling the dazed witch with him.

"Clear outta here, Monkey-Man!" the ball shouted, making its identity known as Rand Marks. "We'll try to stop Ryu. Dunno what's goin' on with his mind...Urgh!" He had hardly finished that sentence when Katt flew straight into him. "Darn it! Get up, Katt! Ya ain't helpin' by sittin' around there, girl!" Rand exclaimed with panic as the possibility of Ryu chopping them up seemed VERY likely.

True, enough, he came like the speed demon he was, running towards the downed Woren and Shell Clan member. Rand grabbed Katt and jumped back. Looking at the eyes of his friend-turned-foe, he knew that the real Ryu Bateson was lost for now, for those eyes which contained friendliness and warmth were now filled with a lust for battle and blood.

"Stop it, Ryu!" A voice, slightly tinged with a dash of pain and worry sounded and Rand could only see a pair of wings with the color of the night shielding the both of them. One wing was charred and slightly blackened at the tip.

Nina Wyndia had came to their rescue, but what would happen to her? Rand did not want to think about it, but it was too late to do anything now...

To his utter amazement, there was no blood, no scream of pain from the winged princess. Daring himself to look up, the armadillo saw that had the blade moved a few more inches towards her, Nina would have joined her ancestors in heaven by now. He also noted that Ryu's eyes seemed to revert back to the ones they were before this whole mess began. There was no longer any hint of madness in his deep emerald green eyes. There was only regret and horror at what he realized he would have done to Nina, Rand, Katt and Sten had he not stopped in the nick of time.

'What's wrong with me? I thought I could control it...I thought I could deal with it by myself...!' Ryu's thoughts were all jumbled up and he fell to his knees, dropping the weapon that could have murdered one-no, all of his friends. He stared at his hands as though they were full of blood, the blood of innocents and those dear to him. "I...I don't want this to happen anymore…But why do I still yearn for the bloodlust? Why? Is it because I'm a Berserker? Why is this happening to me?" The pounding of his fists upon the floor echoed throughout the well-furnished room. "Evolution...Berserkers...Dragon Clan...I don't want to have anything to do with them anymore!"

Nina's green eyes softened. Ryu was after all, a teenager just like her. True, she had her great share of misfortunes and misery in her life, but she had known about her 'curse' at quite an early age compared to her friend. Furthermore, the curse had not really taken effect, as far as she was concerned. 'Being a Berserker...Being able to transform into a dragon and go out of control most of the time...' the obsidian-winged mage was sure even she won't be able to take it if these uncontrollable transmutations and changes could cause the death of her friends...and family. Ignoring the sharp pain at the tip of her right wing, she hobbled over to the Ranger, who was wallowing in addictive despair and sorrow.

"Ryu..."

His initial reaction was to recoil in terror, possibly at the prospect of going crazy and turning on Nina again. But upon seeing the hurt expression on her face, he relaxed his guard. Certain that he had calmed down, Nina knelt down next to him and smiled even as he tried to avoid looking at her.

The silence that followed suddenly made Ryu even more uncertain of Nina's state of emotions. Was she angry? Was she sad? The quietness which had descended upon them was so unnerving that Ryu had to make the first move.

"Aren't you...angry with me?" The uncertainty was no longer mixed with sorrow or caution and Nina perked at the fact that the Ranger had finally freed himself from the grasp of gloom that had encased him not long ago. Her smile grew wider and only served to add to Ryu's confusion, which promptly surfaced on his face.

"Now that's more like you, Ryu." Nina giggled as she watched that expression. Somehow, the Berserker was not as strong as she thought he was. He did have his more tender moments, especially when his friends are in need and currently, where he seemed so distraught about hurting people.

She suddenly hugged him tightly on an impulse, surprisingly Ryu even more. Strangely, he felt as though something warm was surrounding his heart and the abrupt disappearance of the former as though he had never been floundering in sadness at all. Slightly blushing from the contact and the fact that their friends (with an additional witch) were still watching, Ryu became even more confused.

"N-Nina...?"

"Don't worry, Ryu. I'm your friend. We're your friends. We know that you had no intention of attacking us in the first place." Her angelic voice seemed to be the only sound worth hearing in the world as she whispered in his ear so softly such that only he could hear her. "Let us help you, Ryu. Don't push us away; We-I believe in you. I know that you can triumph over all these. Give yourself time; give us time to help you."

"But...But I'm afraid I'll hurt all of you again. I might even end up killing innocent people and killing you. All of you. I don't want that...I..."

Nina smile tenderly. That was what she liked about Ryu the most. He was caring and sensitive (maybe) and never fails to worry about others more than himself. That was probably the reason why he was at a loss at how to control his new-found powers.

"We don't want it either. But you can't run away from it forever, Ryu. Didn't I just say that I believe in you? So please, Ryu, trust yourself. Trust us. Trust me."

With that final plea, Nina raised her head to lock an intense gaze with his eyes, the deep green ocean that she had always thought she would drown in if she just as much look into them for a second longer than she should. But now, the depth seemed minute compared to how vulnerable and uncertain he looked at this point in time.

'Just like a child...'

After several seconds, Ryu blinked, cutting off the connection of their emerald orbs. "Uh...Nina?"

"Hmm?"

"There are...people watching...You know, Katt, Sten, Rand and Nimufu..." He said slowly, feeling his red blood cells starting up a red dye shop on his face.

"Kyaaa!" Nina let go of him immediately and turned away from the group, attempting to hide her beet-red face from the rest. She was so absorbed in trying to cheer Ryu up and looking into his eyes that she had forgotten about what her 'spur-of-the-moment' impulse had egged her to do. Sten and Rand laughed boisterously while Ryu joined in later with a few nervous chuckles of his own. Katt, on the other hand, was not too happy with the fact that Nina had gotten so close to Ryu Bateson again.

'Ack! When had I been so worried about him anyway? I mean, he did warrant some concern, but its not like I decide who can go console him or something! Besides, I'm not really good at this kinda sentimental stuff...'

"Sniff..."

Katt turned to look at the crying witch. "Huh? Hey you, what the heck are you crying about?" Before she could say another word, two miniature waterfalls leaked out of the lithe spell-caster's eyes.

"Wahhh! Why can't someone treat me like that? Just because I'm a witch doesn't mean that I don't have feelings...In the end, only a frog has ever said that he loves me!" She continued sobbing until it irritated Katt, who grabbed her by her collar.

"Stop your whining, witch! You should be happy that at least someone has granted your wish for feeling loved and cared for. Instead, all you did was luring men from god-knows-where, seduce them and reduce them to a little more than zombies! Is that the idea of being loved, huh? Love is meant to be sacred! It is a two-way thing, not what you've been doing all this while. Since there is a...a man who professes that he loves you, why don't you try to reciprocate that feeling or find some other person the NORMAL way?"

The guys stopped laughing as they heard the commotion. They were all shocked that Katt, who usually stays away from words such as 'counseling' and 'diplomacy' was actually trying to talk sense into the miserable woman known as Nimufu. The Woren was never known to wax lyrical about ideals on politics and life, let alone philosophy. Then again, they should have expected this. Considering the brash personality Katt has, she would have either yelled at her to shut up or use force to make her do so.

Nimufu had stopped crying upon hearing this, as though the hammer of realization had hit her hard. She was staring at the furious female Woren, who had came to bare her fangs.

"...How old are you, Woren?" Nimufu asked calmly, any traces of her sadness gone.

"Eh? I'm fifteen." Katt replied. She felt herself losing grip on her temper as the witch giggled lightheartedly. "Fine! I'm so damned young! What's so funny about being young?"

"No, Miss Chuan. I never thought that such a young person like you would be the first one to wake me up from my delusions about men and such." The young witch smiled at Katt, who was rather taken aback by her actions. "You are a lot more mature than your age suggests."

Katt laughed embarrassedly and gave a hand to help Nimufu up. Rand grinned at how easily Katt's attitude towards people change. The Woren fighter never liked praise, even during the time when she was in the Coliseum and now. She had not changed much, something which Rand was grateful for, despite all that exposure from the world.

"So then, Nimufu, how do we cure Prince Jean of SimaFort?" Ryu finally found his voice and replaced his sword into its respective place. The witch shied away from him a bit. Apparently she still feared the little display he had showed, but she seemed more shocked by the revelation that the frog which had professed his love to her was actually the prince of the Frog Clan. "You do know that he is feeling very uncomfortable with meeting you now, since you placed a curse on him and he knows that you will probably never return his feelings."

"...I guess I'll come with you people. I own him an apology I guess..." The witch wistfully spoke and kept silent, trudging behind Katt, Rand and Sten as they turned to leave. Ryu began to do the same but stopped on hearing an audible gasp from behind.

"Nina? What's wrong?" He asked, aware of the fact that Nina was trying in vain to flap her wings, but every movement rewarded her with a wince. She tried to stand up next and her right leg seem to crumple like a piece of paper being crushed, causing her to fall down.

"Ah-ha ha...Seems that I can't neither fly nor walk..." Her cheerful façade almost tricked the others into thinking that she was not hurt badly but the tell-tale sweat on her face gave her away. Ryu, being the closest one to her, was the first to reach her and check her condition.

"You've twisted your right ankle and injured the most sensitive spot on your right wing ever since Nimufu hit you! Why didn't you say anything?"

"I...didn't want you to worry, seeing that you already have enough on your mind that is troubling you..." Nina smiled painfully. She could almost feel tears coming into her eyes when Ryu ever so slightly touched her wing-tip and bandaged it.

"Idiot! You should have said something first! Now it will take even longer to heal!" The shouting from him surprised Nina. 'He must have recovered faster than I thought he would...' Nina thought, secretly happy that Ryu was finally showing concern again.

Knowing that his winged friend needed help, Ryu could only think of one idea to let her get out of the tower. He faced away from Nina, knelt down and cupped his hands behind his lower back. "Come on. Let me give you a lift."

"I-It's okay! I don't need anyone's hel-Oww..." The Winidian groaned again as she tried to stand up for the second time and ended up hurting her bandaged ankle even more.

"Geez...And who was the one who told me not to push other people away when theywanna help? I understand you don't want to trouble anyone, so just take my offer as a payment for your help earlier on, Nina." Ryu said gruffly, feeling a little awkward that he had to say such words. There was no reply, only the slight feel of a weight on his back and two slender, delicate hands gripping his shoulders. His arms went round her legs such that the princess will be in a sitting position, blushing as he felt the smooth, creamy texture of her bare thighs. "Feels almost like the other time..."

"What other time?" Nina's said innocently, causing Ryu to turn red again as he thought about how she had used him as a bolster. He nervously laughed and resumed walking, assuring Nina that he was thinking about something else and breathed a mental sigh of relief that she had not woken up earlier than he did that day.

"Geez! You take so long just to go, Ranger!" Katt scowled angrily, presumably due to the time Ryu took to carry Nina. Pointing an accusatory finger at him, she spoke tenaciously: "Don't you think about anything dirty, Ryu! She's a princess after all, you know..."

"S-Shut up! Who asked your opinion anyway?" Ryu quickened his pace and almost fell forward as he went down the stairs. Rand and Sten just sighed and shrugged while Nimufu had an amused look on. They followed Katt slowly down to the entrance of the tower, with Jean eagerly awaiting their presence.

---

"There!" Nimufu added as she kissed the giant frog on his cheek. The frog swooned and seemed to glow. Gradually, the shape became smaller and smaller until it was about the size of a grown man. The light faded away to reveal the delighted face of Prince Jean Hoppa de Tapeta.

"Ahh...Zis good to be back again in my old form. Nimufu...! Vat are you zoing here, Mademoiselle?" It was obvious that the prince was uncomfortable around the witch, especially one who had turned him into a 'bigger' frog. Furthermore, this woman had rejected his love. Why had she been the one to lift his curse?

The witch smiled. "I'm sorry Jean. I shouldn't have placed that curse on you...I hope we can still remain friends?"

The green-skinned amphibian smiled cheerfully. "Of courz, Mademoiselle Nimufu. I zon't like zo hold grudgez anyway. It's too ziring." Taking the purple-haired woman's outstretched hand, he accepted her friendship and shook it firmly.

"Turns out all he needed was a kiss on his cheek by a female huh..." Ryu said softly, the slight breeze blowing at his blue hair as it swayed like grass in the wind. "Always thought that kinda thing belongs in a fairy-tale."

"Mmm..."Nina mumbled her agreement before her head drooped onto his right shoulder. 'The battle and the injuries must have worn her out,' Ryu thought, chuckling to himself.

"Ryu! What are you standing there laughing about? Come over 'ere! We gotta get to the camping site before nightfall! Prince Jean has promised to take us to SimaFort to help out with our problem!" Katy yelled, clearly irritated that Ryu had made no move at all to walk even after all of them had started to head south to the camping site. Was it his imagination, or did Katt seemed grouchier ever since he had carried Nina?

His answer came in the form of Sten, who had snuck up behind the Woren and 'boo!'ed her. She was hot on his heels a second later, staff waving madly, baying for monkey blood.

'It's just my imagination.' Thought Ryu as he shook his head in amusement and followed his friends, walking on the land kissed by the final rays of sunlight as twilight beckons.

---

"Never thought you would see 'im there eh?" Rand laughed and Ryu glared at him in return. "Always manages to pop up somewhere to torment ya."

"...Yeah. What a crazy god. He and his statues...You would think he would be more popular with the sculptors in Capitan, considering the fact that I have seen no less than five of that in my travels so far..." Ryu muttered. The camp site that rested slightly west of SimaFort was the largest in the region, frequented by holiday-goers and travelers alike. It came as a surprise that a Ladon statue was also there, although it seemed to be dysfunctional at the moment. In any case, Ryu was sure he could find effigies of the Dragon God in the middle of a god-forsaken desert (except for Ladon in this case) and not feel surprised.

"My friends, ve have arrived! Behold, ze capitol of ze Creeper Clan: ZeemaFort!" Jean proudly announced, not without the presence of pride in his voice. The party stared in amazement at the awe-inspiring structure as they stood up from their seats in the boat they were taking to reach their destination. The castle itself was magnificent to behold. It was built of a raw material which made its walls almost impregnable to siege attacks and able to endure the weathering of Time for quite a while. Looking further up south, Ryu could make out several sprawling floating cities, none as big as SimaFort but equally splendid.

As the party alighted and passed through the ornate city gates, which had carvings of great Creeper characters on them, Ryu noticed some people (or 'oversized frogs', as Katt would say) sending glances their way frequently and when he looked at them, they just looked away and resumed what they were doing.

"Hello, my good citizens! Your Prince haz come home!" Their amphibious friend sang out. Whether it was out of embarrassment or something else, the citizens moved away from him quickly. Jean's smile faded. "Ah? Aren't you going to velcome your Prince back, my dear citizens?" The prince was obviously puzzled. As far as he was concerned, people usually welcome him back with cheers and open arms, but all he had received so far was the cold shoulder. Had his disappearance been that long such that his beloved citizens had forgotten him?

"Something's not right." Ryu whispered as the heavy air of tension weighed down on him. "I can feel it."

"Geez, you are overreacting, Blue Boy. Maybe the citizens really did forget him or something. Don't get so worked up, man." Sten Legacy shrugged and remained nonchalant about the whole matter. That is, until he saw Creeper soldiers in the dozens, heavily armored and armed to the teeth pointing at their group and marching towards them. "Uh, I think you just might be right, Ryu." He grinned nervously as his hand went to the hilts of his daggers. Katt hissed and tightened her grip on her bow staff while Rand and Nina looked tense. Although they just might be able to beat off this battalion of soldiers, there are probably still a few thousand guards in the vicinity, something which was definitely beyond their power to handle.

As the guards neared the group, Ryu could see that there were mixed expressions on the faces of the spear-wielding group. Some of them looked surprised yet scared, while others looked stern and serious about doing their job, whatever that is.

"Iz zat him, Pierre?" One of them spoke up. From the differences of his more decorated armor compared to the others, Ryu silently assumed the speaker to be the leader of this group.

"Yez, Captain. Zat iz him alright." The soldier wore a bronze-colored armor like the other guards, but the difference was that his eyes betrayed a hint of sadness and regret as he pointed feebly at Jean. The captain nodded and four guards grabbed the prince by his arms and legs, picking him up and carrying him away.

"Hey! Put me down, please! I know you all are happy about my return, monsieurs, but zere's no need to go overboard on ze celebrationz!" Jean yelled while Ryu drew his sword quickly.

He was met by at least two dozen spears, each pointing at him threateningly.

"Zere is zome misunderstanding, Monsieurs and Mademoiselles. It iz regrettable to say zat you have all been tricked." The captain of the guards calmly declared. "Zat man who you traveled with is a zwindler and an imposter. I'm most sorry for ze inconvenience caused. If zere iz nothing else, please be on your way."

"Imposter? What the hell are you talking about, Toad-Face?" Katt yelled and was only restrained by Rand before she got into further trouble. Ryu had not relaxed his grip on his sword. Although what they say might be true, he was sure that the Dragon Tear-which had shone a yellowish-green color when he talked with Jean-was not a bad person and he did not deserved to be locked up unless there was a specific reason. The air thickened with more tension with every passing second as Ryu stared challengingly into the Captain's eyes, which seemed to waver a bit under the intensity of his gaze. Even the injured Nina was preparing to cast a spell. As time seemed to stop, the cauldron of tension seemed almost certain to boil and spill its contents when-

"Tsk, tsk. Captain! What iz the meaning of zees, eh?" An imperious voice rang out. A young blue-skinned Creeper came into their views with a considerably large entourage behind him. He was decked in fine livery and exquisite jewelry. Even his scabbard and boots were encrusted with precious sapphires and rubies. His eyes, full of vigor, authority and pride was enough to bring lesser men to hang their heads in shame or awe in front of him. The jeweled crown was enough to give away his identity to the adventurers.

"My Prince!" The captain gasped and knelt before him. The guards lowered their weapons and followed suit. "Long live your Highness ze Prince!"

"Zhank you. Now do get up." The apparently real Jean laughed loudly as the guards obeyed. Turning to Ryu, he scrutinized him just as Ryu had studied him a moment ago. A strange glint came into his eyes but faded as fast as sunlight when night came. Grinning Ryu, he spoke directly to him for the first time.

"I zhank you for helping us find ze imposter. He had been outside all zis while you see, and zere vere many rumors about a Creeper thief stealing and zvindling money out of people vith my name. Zat has tarnished my reputation greatly and it iz good zat you have found him. For that, you have my undying gratitude." He smiled briefly and too quickly at Ryu before turning to the captain to reprimand him for his 'lack of manners and ingratitude'.

As Katt saw Ryu tense despite finding a solution to their stand-off with the guards, she was able to ask when Ryu put a finger to his lips. Katt understood immediately and moved back just before the Prince gave orders to the guards to "ezcort ze guests stay to ze Palace guest rooms!" The Prince turned and smiled as he proceeded to continue: "Of course, I know zat outlanders such as you must be tired. Do rest one day before continuing vith your travels. This way please." He beckoned and turned to lead his entourage back to the palace while the guards positioned themselves behind them.

Ryu grinned suddenly. "I guess we have no choice then. We accept your wonderful hospitality, Prince Jean." In reply, the prince turned and grinned at him before walking off with his group. Ryu and his friends followed closely behind.

"Ryu...What's going on? Why did you go with them? Surely you don't think the first Jean is the imposter, do you?" Nina whispered worriedly, conveniently piggy-backed by the blue-haired warrior.

"Shh...We'll all talk once we get in. Hopefully we can depend on you to cast a spell that can enable us to talk without them listening in..." With that, he grabbed his Dragon Tear with his right hand and showed it to the Winidian princess.

It was glowing an angry crimson-obsidian color, the meaning of it lost on the clueless girl.

"Hate." Was all Ryu said as they quietly entered the grand palace. Even Nina had to admit that the halls were simply magnificent. Customary red and purple satin lined the walls and balconies. The banisters seemed to be made of the purest and best marble available while statues and large portraits of Creeper heroes from the mists of time decked the hallways as the group moved towards the guest rooms.

They were shown to separate rooms, although they were not far from each other. Ryu knew that considering that the "Prince" had such an intense amount of hatred or evil intentions towards him, there were bound to be guards outside his door at night or even now. How was he going to speak to all of them? 'This is going to be problematic...' He thought. As he looked towards the balcony, a brainwave came to him. Although it would be better if all of them could listen in on what he wanted to say.

Opening the huge glass windows quietly, he hopped onto the balcony and was surprised that a certain Highlander had done the same before him. Sten motioned for him to come over, to which Ryu nodded affirmatively. Jumping onto the balcony of Nina's room, he tapped twice on the glass window. The winged girl whirled about, a Spark spell ready at hand. The look of surprise and gradual dissipation of energies from her right hand was all that was needed for Ryu to come into her room. He put a finger on his lips and knelt down in front of Nina, facing away from her. The familiar weight that had placed itself on his back for the past two days came and he was off, bounding to the fifth balcony of the room, in which Rand currently resided.

Jumping from one window to another alone was one thing. Jumping with an approximately 30 kg Winidian on his back was another. Even though Ryu knew his strength and agility were above that of a normal human's, he had been tired out considerably by the Berserker taking over him. The battle, although short, had drained him mentally and he felt as though another jump would take a chunk of his life from him.

As they finally reached the fifth balcony, Ryu could see that Rand, Katt and Sten were already in discussion about random things. Putting Nina down, he proceeded to open the windows and stepped in without invitation. "Can we start now?"

The others turned to stare at him for a second and nodded their approval. With that, Nina began to chant and weaved a pattern in the air with her hands. Several moments passed, and Ryu felt a faint tingling of a magical net in the air around them. "All done!" Nina exclaimed happily. "I've placed a silencing spell around the room such that the guards can't eavesdrop on us."

"Good. Now that no one can hear us, perhaps you can fill us in on why you don't seem to trust the other Blue-Boy, Blue-Boy."

"Sten..."Ryu warned

"Alright, alright! I'm sorry. Geez...Rule number one: Always blame the Highlander for trying to lighten up the atmosphere..."

Katt ignored him and turned to Ryu with a questioning look. "So, Ryu? What exactly do you think is going on? How did you know that he can't be trusted?"

"First of all, my Dragon Tear never lies. The blackish-red color that it had flashed showed that he has ulterior motives. Secondly, I believe that this blue-skinned amphibian is the real imposter. Although it's just a feeling, I'm very sure of it."

The group drowned in silence for a moment. While these were all assumptions made by Ryu, they did felt that something was amiss. The citizens glancing at them and how the "Prince" did not have any kind of suspicion whether they were accomplices of the "fake" Jean.

"Ya know, come to think of it, I gotta admit Ryu's assumptions seem logical. That lil' bugger din' even bothered to introduce 'imself..." Rand mused.

"So what are we going to do now? We can't just break into the prisons of this place and try to find the real guy."

Truth to be told, Ryu had no idea at all how to prove Jean's innocence. He knew that one Dragon Tear and his assumptions are not reliable and concrete enough to unveil the truth to the Creepers who were kept in the dark. Then maybe-

"We can always look for the princess. Remembered that Jean said that he had a sister, Petape Hoppa de Tapeta? If we seek her help, maybe we can be able to prove whether the first Creeper we met is the real Jean or not." Nina finished his thoughts for him as she suggested to the whole group.

But even before there was a slightest indication of agreement, something crashed through the window. These 'things' stood up and started attacking the party, who were caught a little off-guard by the ambush. Recovering quickly, Ryu drew up his newest weapon from his calf and dodged several projectiles meant for his neck and chest. Charging the nearest masked assassin, he swept the katana up in a crescent motion and amputated his left arm. Before he could even cry out in pain, Ryu charged him with a powerful thrust and left go of his grip on the weapon. The katana embedded itself into the assassin's shoulder and pinned him to the white walls of the room.

Katt faced off with two of the assassins, both holding the standard short swords and daggers. They rushed Katt, both attacking her from the front. Thrust, riposte, dodge, feint, slash, dodge-It was like a dance of death amongst the three of them as they tried to find an opening to kill the other. Finally, Katt feigned arrogance and taunted the both of them, her eyes flashing with pride and her posture lazy for a person fighting for her life. The shorter assassin rushed forward, probably in anger and Katt sidestepped his crazy attack, smashing her bow staff down onto the neck of her attacker. He slumped to the ground without as much of a protest.

As she whirled to deal with the other, she was surprised to see Nina parrying the strokes of the other with one of the daggers picked up from a downed assassin. Her face was gripped by determination and concentration, although it was bordering a little on desperation, Katt secretly admired Nina for trying hard to fend off her attacker. She rushed him from behind and gave him an almighty blow to his legs, which promptly crumbled and the next hit landed on his skull. An audible cracking sound was heard and the assassin dropped like a rock onto the floor, dead as a dodo.

"You alright?" Katt asked quickly. Nina nodded and pushed her away. Two throwing daggers embedded themselves into the wall behind where the Woren had been before. She silently cursed herself for her carelessness and attacked the people responsible for attacking her with the daggers.

Although Rand found it rather easy to take down the assassins when he got his hands on them, it was by no means simple for him to catch them and avoid their attacks at the same time. As another blade grazed his arm, causing the crimson liquid to seep out, he growled and lashed out wildly. Two unfortunate assassins suddenly found themselves flying towards the ceiling and when they landed, they were no longer able to fight, having their senses knocked out of them.

Sten, on the other hand, was having a breeze fighting the slower assassins. He slashed three across the chest and stabbed another in the heart, effectively ending the chaos that had ensued when the assassins entered the room. He grinned in grim satisfaction and was about the search the bodies when the door burst open.

"Monsieur! Are you alright?" The Prince burst in and a horrified expression was plastered onto his face when he saw the dead bodies and wounds received by his guests. "Mon Dieu! Vat has happened? Vy are all of you here?" He stared, a dumbfounded expression on his face now. Before letting them answer or ask any questions, he immediately sent another order to his guards to clear the mess and arrest any assassins who were alive or unconscious. Turning to the group with an apologetic smile on his face, he apologized and asked them whether it was possible for them to leave by tonight because they "vere in danger of being assassinated by those fanatics who believed zat you have broughz him in."

He left it at that, and the forty guards who escorted them to the gates made it clear that the party had no other choice other than complying with the Prince's 'suggestion'. As they were jostled out of the gates, it slammed shut in their faces, leaving them alone once more.

"Oookay, now I totally agree with Ryu about this guy not being the real Prince." Sten spoke, his voice being the needle which pierced the silence, which was otherwise punctuated by the beating of gentle waves upon the docks.

Katt snorted. "Geez, just because he threw us out and now we have no place to stay? What great logic, Monkey-Man!" She turned to glare at the Highlander, who did the same to her, considering how irked he was already, that was no surprise.

"Stop it, you two. This ain't the time to be arguin'. We gotta think of sumthin' right now." Rand stopped as he saw a small silhouette struggling with something in the darkness. "Hey, who's that?"

Nina turned and took a long look at the figure. From the looks of it, the figure was a 'she' due to the slender figure and the ankle length clothing the person wore, though it could be a priest. But by the way the person was moving...

"I'll take a look." Ryu whispered and ran over to the figure. With his enhanced eyesight, he could see that the person was a Creeper who was struggling to push a large boulder towards their boat.

"Wha-? Our boat? Oh no, don't tell me..." He shouted. The startled female Creeper quickly gave a last heave and managed to push the boulder down onto the boat, breaking it into splinters upon impact and sinking it into the abyss below.

"Zere! It's z'one!" A sweet yet strong voice sounded, coupled with a few pants in between. Ryu rushed forward and spun the female around to face him, irritation gripping him as he realize that the only mode of transport for them out of this place was gone. Furthermore, he was unable to find out about the thief in this place.

The female Creeper was beautiful by Creeper standards, her skin smoother than most and her eyes large and round. Her pinkish skin seemed to make her glow, indicating her emphasis on skin-care products (maybe). She was of small build, shorter than Ryu by a head and a half and the most important feature seemed to be her eyes. Though it made her look delicate, there was an inner strength that stood unwavering.

She pulled away from him and began to apologize: "I'm zorry for breaking your boat, but zere are more pressing matters at hand. You are ze only people who can save my brother now. Please hurry!" She said urgently. Sensing the Creeper's words to be genuineand knowing the yellowish gem in the Dragon Tear shonethe truth, Ryu made to follow her to wherever she was heading to.

Then thegates began to creak open.

The Creeper panicked. Looking frantically around for hiding places, she found none and without a word, pushed Ryu, Nina and Katt down into the water. Sten and Rand were bewildered by her actions, but decided to jump in anyway, hoping that the mysterious stranger had a good reason to do so.

"Quit struggling, Katt! You are going to attract attention! Urk-" Ryu sounded a mangled and muffled cry as Nina's hold around his neck tightened. "I know you don't like the water, N-Nina, but could you try not to strangle the only float you have?"

"S-Sorry. I don't know how to swim."

"And that's seems to be the case for our little miss Woren here as well..." Ryu's attempt to snicker was cut off by the chokehold Nina had tightened on him. "Nina, I hope you don't try to drown me now..."

"Sorry..." The Winidian sorceress replied sheepishly. Katt pouted and thrashed her way over to Ryu, hugging him tightly.

"Hey! W-What the heck are you trying to do, Katt Chuan?"

"Haha...Stay afloat?" The Woren blushed as she thought of the audacity of her actions. Normally she would not have done that, but at least the water gave her an excuse to be able to get near the blue-haired teen, which was something she had wanted to do ever since she met him. It was an inexplicable attraction. Or was it perhaps he had saved her from danger once?

Maybe it was both.

Sten laughed quietly as he saw the poor Ranger at the centre of attention literally. Ryu was probably what he would call a real "ladies' man" at this moment. He was surprised initially, that Katt did not know how to swim while the gigantic Rand stayed afloat better than he did.

"I took swimming lessons sine I was a wee toddler, Sten."

"...Oh."

As he floated noiselessly in contrast to two certain females and a Ranger, he picked up bits and pieces of conversation between the Creeper and two other people.

"Princess...Prince...order...zee if zey have gone safely."

"Of course they...I zaw to zat...accusing me of zomething?"

"No, princess...go back first."

"Run along now." The voice was louder than normal, a command that was used almost everyday that it had seemed so natural and habitual. The Highlander heard the shuffling of feet and the closing of gates and he strained to hear the whispers coming from the other person and the apparent Princess Petape.

"...Feezing him...no one else...in good care, Princess."

"Zat's good...low profile...Got zome help..."

'Help? What kind of help? Does she mean us?' Sten was rather doubtful about this. Then again, considering that the Prince Jean in prison should be the real one, maybe she was referring to them after all...

"Hel-Help...Urg..." Sten turned to see a desperately drowning Ryu with Nina and Katt struggling to stay afloat. Sten just sniggered while Rand swam over to help them. Seeing that the Princess and the guard gazing over the edge at them in bemused despair, Sten finally roared with laughter...

---

"You think it's funny eh?" Katt admonished Sten loudly, who had drifted in and out of consciousness after the blow Katt had given him when they were able to get onto dry land. They had been admitted to an inn under the orders of the Princess after she had repeatedly apologized for her strange behaviour earlier on. Now waiting for the awakening of Ryu, the rest of them either paced about uneasily or fidgeted as they sat down.

Others, like Sten, simply hummed a tune to keep the throbbing sound out of his head.

"Would you just shut up for a moment?" Katt growled and Sten stopped his silly tune, which seemed to be a relief to the mild-mannered armadillo.

---

"Oww...This trend has got to stop..." Ryu sat up. Darkness surrounded him and even with his enhanced eyesight, he could not see through the black fog. Gradually, he felt as though his senses had stopped working. He was unable to do anything in this darkness and a sense of panic took over everything.

Then, a presence, full of anger and passion seemed to flood Ryu's mind. It was an ominous, yet it was as though he had known this being for his whole life and relaxed his guard. The darkness was soon driven away by a myriad of colors, each of them so bright that it blinded the Ranger momentarily. When he opened his eyes, he saw a face about three times the size of his body, staring down at him imperiously. He felt the power and energy from it and most of all; he felt anger and vengeance emanated from the being. He felt drawn to it, yet feared it, something which felt natural for him to feel.

"Do not fear, child of the Brood. I'm but the other entity sharing your body. Your other consciousness."

"What?" Ryu was confused at first. 'Didn't I have full control of my actions all the time? Unless...Unless he's...!"

"Yes, I'm the Berserker inside of you." The face took on a more familiar face. The fangs materialized as did the ancient bestial face, which resembled the creature that Ryu had transformed into.

"Interesting, no? Does it really surprise you that much that I'm talking with you instead of growling in a crazy manner and trying to attack your spirit now?"

Ryu tried to cover up his shocked expression but failed miserably. "Huh? No...I guess I'm just surprised. What do you mean by spirit? I can't be dead, right?"

"It's called a spirit separation and occurs every once in a while. It depends sometimes on your luck or the times you have been close to dying."

"I see. So why am I seeing you now? I mean why can I see you now?"

"Simple. The times when I can come out and take control of your body were when you are near death or in grave danger. However, I tried to force my way through to take over your body in the latest incident. Your body rejected me and confusing your spirit as part of the malevolence in me, you were sent out as well, leaving a living buy spiritless body behind. As your spirit was rejected at the same time as me, we seem to be in the same place and were able to meet."

'Gosh, this is so overwhelming...' Ryu thought as he tried to absorb the knowledge. 'So technically, I'm dead, but I'm not dead...Argh! It's all too confusing!'

"Indeed it is, my host."

"Wha-You can read my mind?" Ryu said as he realized that the entity had read his mind twice. The being merely laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle which echoed throughout the deep red caverns.

"That is not important, considering that what you asked can be answered by common sense. Come, my host, there is much to be done!" A body finally materialized, wearing an ancient suit of armor that Ryu had neither seen nor read about. It was mainly black with a few shades of blood-red colors on the shoulder plates, gauntlets and boots. The face grew smaller until it was about the size of a man's head and fitted itself onto the armor. Weaving a pattern in the air, the figure chanted and an equally primordial door appeared, the runes on it drawn to curve wickedly. As the entity stepped through, he beckoned for the teenager to follow.

"Wait! At least tell me where we are going and what we are going to do!" Ryu ran after the figure, which stopped and spoke quietly and seriously, a contrast to the tone used before.

"We are going to the Dannath Tais, the Land of Eternal Legend. There, we shall train on how you can handle your Evolutions more easily. By the way, time stops in here, so don't worry about spending months or even years training." The dragon-man snapped his fingers, and a imaginary training room appeared out of nowhere, covering the red barren land they were walking upon a moment ago.

"Train? Dannath Tais?"

"Yes, Ryu Bateson of the Brood. If you are not ready, then I can always send you back. What say you?"

Ryu thought hard. He was anxious about what had happened to his friends, but a gut feeling told him that there should not be anything much to worry about. Why would he travel with them if he did not trust their capabilities? The dragon-man smiled as he read his thoughts and a steely determination took over the clouded and uncertainty in Ryu's eyes.

"You can't run away from it forever, Ryu. Didn't I just say that I believe in you?" Nina's words echoed in his mind and his resolve finally hardened completely. With an air of great confidence and pride, he turned and stood before the dragon-man proudly.

"...Yes, I'm ready."

"So it begins, Ryu Bateson..." The dragon-man replied and set off the training facilities...

---

"It's zaking too long for him to vake up!" Petape sat down impatiently and stood up again, visibly stressed and worried. "Ack! I' ll just zell you how ve can prove my brother's innocence now. You can fill him in on ze details later." The princess cleared her throat and everyone turned to listen to the figure of authority.

"So what do you suggest, Princess?" Nina asked, curiosity getting the better of her worry about Ryu's condition.

The other princess looked cheerful at last, almost triumphant, as she announced her intentions.

"Ve shall have a cooking contest Vith ze fake Prince!"

---

So how was it? I know some parts of this sounds rather rushed and confusing, so do tell me whether I need to explain on them in the chapters or separately. By the way, I won't be alive online for about ten days due to exams coming up, so the next chapter might take an additional week or two before it arrives. If there are any blatant errors in BoF facts and language mistakes, I apologize and sincerely hope for constructive suggestions. By the way, I might have overdone the stupid accent thingy and I sincerely apologize to those who take and have greater knowledge of the French language than me (I can't speak French!). Do tell me if I should keep this accent thingy going or not. Thanks to all readers and do please read & review!

Signing off, Wingdom