Hey there! I'm back again. Sorry for the long wait, though many of you readers might not like this story that much anyway, since it's just a figment of my imagination. Sorry if this chapter seemed rushed and less detailed. I'll try to improve on the next one! I promise!
Dear latest reviewers:
Sylin: Thanks for your encouragement! I don't dare take credit for being a good writer, but it's always nice to know that there area few more people out there who appreciate my coarse work!
zero asakura: Thanks for your compliments! I'm unworthy of such praise, though. I'm not sure if what I wrote in this one is to your liking for Nina's POV, since my story is mostly based on third-person POV. I hope you enjoy this as well! (Nina rules x2!)
Red Mage 04: As usual, I have to thank you for your compliments, but you know that I'm an inconsistent writer from my chapters...Sorry it took so long to update and glad you liked the ideas about a separate entity in Ryu and the katana. Its identity will be revealed in the next chapter by a certain villain (evil grin). Sorry about the berserker armor mystery. I'm planning to reveal it a little later than usual. As usual, if you have any advice on improving my story, please leave your comments. They are always greatly appreciated.
Dragon Man 180: Sorry about disappointing you...The group won't taste the food in this one, maybe in the next one. I was going along a more serious line in this chapter, so I beg for your forgiveness before you chase me with a butcher knife! Haha...As for Nimufu and Jean pairing up, I'll try to see to it the next chapter as well and maybe in a sequel. Who knows? Thanks again for reviewing! I hope this one doesn't disappoint you too much...
Disclaimer: Don't own anything official, so don't take me to court over this story.
Onward bound to the story!
Breath of Fire 2: Chapter 8-A not so fairytale ending for a not so evil imposter
"Let me get this straight: We are going to catch a fly, a Water-Worm and a Giant Cockroach and COOK them?" Sten scrunched his face up in utter disgust. "There are limits to the weirdness of diets, you know..."
"Sten! That's rude..." Nina exclaimed. Although she shared the same sentiments as the monkey about the plan of the Princess of SimaFort-otherwise known as Petape Hoppa de Tapeta- the Winidian magician could not help but goggle at the names of the exotic dishes that the former had mentioned. Deep-fried Water-Worm, Giant Roach Pie and Gold Fly Pudding, a "feast fit for a king!" Was what Petape had said. Although Nina was polite enough not to question the choices of the Princess, she could not help but shudder at the thought of fighting and catching gigantic bugs, slaughter them and toss them into a wok or something to cook them into a meal.
Had she not been taught lessons in manners, Nina would probably have said the same thing as Katt.
"Disgusting! What kind of meals do you people eat?" The Woren literally screamed beside Nina, who covered her ears and winced in response to the ear-splitting sound produced by her friend. The black-winged magician just kept her mouth shut, considering that she had been thinking something along the line of what Katt had unceremoniously hollered out.
Petape however, seemed unperturbed by Katt's apparent discomfort with the idea of cooking bugs for consumption. "Yes. Zat is ze best idea I can zink up of-"
"But what about enlisting the help of the other people who believe that the real Jean is in prison? I do think that there are plenty of people out there who are willing to help your Highness. What's more, doesn't Jean have some sort of evidence to prove his innocence?" A big armadillo who had been sitting silently while a Highlander and Woren ranted and raved about disgusting meals finally spoke up.
"He does have ze ring of royalty, but ze fake has one just like it too." Petape proceeded to pace to and fro frantically in the room, an indication of her extreme impatience and worry which she otherwise did not show. "The guards and people who believe in my brother are too powerless and too few to do anything...Ack! Zis is zo frustrating!" She yelled as the pink-skinned Princess vented her anger and frustration on a nearby table uncharacteristically. The four other people literally jumped as she banged the table and Sten laughed nervously when he saw the cracks appearing on the victim of the Princess's wrath.
As they waited for the Princess to cease her rambling, Nina's eyes traveled to the unconscious warrior lying on the second bed in the room. So far, he had shown no visible signs of waking, and the weight of her worry was getting heavier and heavier as she watched Ryu as he laid trapped in a seemingly endless slumber. As Rand had confirmed earlier, Ryu was still breathing and alive, thus leaving the mystery of why he was not up on his feet yet unsolved.
Even so, Nina was still unable to free herself from the web of concern that had taken over her mind. There was the problem about the fake prince, the plans to catch the extremely rare creepy-crawlies and now there was their unanimous leader, incapacitated indefinitely. It was as though misfortune and trouble followed them everywhere ever since they had started traveling.
"It must have been...The wings..." Nina muttered softly, eyes overcast with dejectedness.
"What?" Realizing that she had not been as quiet as she thought, Nina turned towards the four of them arguing about how to look for and trap their intended preys. 'Well, hiding it won't do any good anyway. I might as well get it off my chest.'
"Well...All these misfortunes which had happened are probably due to my wings..."
"What? Why do your wings come into this?" Sten replied confusedly. Nina shifted uncomfortably. Somehow, she had always found it hard to speak about the 'curse' that she had been bestowed upon her since the day she was able to breathe, feel and hear. Hear that her father had spoken in horror about something abominable.
"Geez...Haven't we gone through this already?" Katt muttered, exasperation as clear as crystal in her voice. She stood up and placed her paws on Nina's shoulders with such a force that it actually hurt. "Look here, Nina. You're not helping by whining about you stupid curse and how it's affecting everyone around you. Give us a little less problems and angst, little princess!"
The indignation took over, but failed to incite any passionate response in the black-winged wizard. She simply slumped and looked down at the floor, as though her very gaze would blight the Woren and cause misfortune to befall her. This only served to fuel the fire of anger in Katt and she hauled the Winidian to her feet.
"You idiot! Do you think you are the only one with secrets and troubles? Do you seriously think that the rest of us don't give a damn about Ryu? Everybody's worried, for goodness' sake and that doesn't give you any right to whine about your stupid curse all day long!"
"Ehh...K-Katt, calm down-"
"Shut up, you flea-bitten primate!" She turned and glared at the Highlander with such a crazed fury in her eyes that he froze in terror and clammed up immediately. Turning back to Nina, she glared at her fervently. "I just as worried as you about Ryu's condition, but do you think Ryu would've approved of what you're doing now? Destroying yourself from within...That is the worst idea you could ever contribute to our discussion!" With that, the Woren stomped off and slammed the door, the sound of it reflecting the degree of her foul mood and anger.
Her words, however, did have the desired effect, as a wide-eyed Nina stopped brooding and droplets of water began to appear in her eyes.
All the others could do was to look on in a mixture of wonder, uneasiness and helplessness.
"...It's decided then. Ve vill issue an official and direct challenge to ze culinary skills of the fake Prince. Ze judges vill be ze best cooks in our palace and my father, ze King himself." Petape announced proudly before the giant armadillo and the pointy-headed Highlander, who clapped unenthusiastically. Although they did not approve of the plan, it was the only one that seemed like the path leading out of the mess they were in. What they did not understand, however, was why Princess Petape had asked them whether they were "willing to place zeir lives on ze line." What was so dangerous about catching a few little insects? True, it might be difficult, given that the little critters will probably scamper about all over the place. Sten and Rand did not really see any danger in capturing small insects and bringing them back, unless they were poisonous, and that assumption had already been refuted by the Princess herself.
"Alright. Come on, Sten. You go get that spit-fire lass while I'll just get Nina-"
"No..." Her voice, barely a sprite's song in a gale whispered. Rand turned and kept silent. Somehow he knew something like this would happen, ever since Ryu had told him all about the curse the Winidian princess had. He knew that even if the princess was mentally stronger than any of them, even a grand palace has a few rotten beams and pillars somewhere and Nina was no exception. To Rand, everyone had their weak moments and he hesitated with her refusal to move.
"No..."She repeated, her bangs hiding the expression present on her face and eyes. "I want to stay here...To watch over Ryu..."
"You needn't vorry about zat, Nina. I've arranged for zome of my zervants and zoldiers to guard him."
"But..."
"No more buts, Wyndia," The familiar and feisty voice called out. The door unceremoniously banged open and Katt Chuan marched in noisily. Any rage that had been present within her moments ago was lost in the mists of time, seemingly forgotten. She stood haughtily before Nina. "Come on, Nina. We've got a person to save. We have decided this matter a while back. Now we must use actions to fulfill what we set out to do. That's what Ryu would say, I think…"
"I'll go then." Nina suddenly stood up; causing a surprised Katt to back off a little, though what really surprised her was the quick change in her demeanor and the determined look in her eyes. Rand smiled at the sight of the blazing determination in her eyes. At least things were suddenly looking up for them for now. While Ryu was still unconscious, it was the least they could do to go forth and set out to finish what Ryu had wanted to.
"Well then," Rand cleared his throat and straightened his toga, standing up as Sten fell in place beside him. "Shall we get goin', your Majesty?"
The dragon-humanoid watched in satisfaction as the blue-haired teen who captured his attention was brought to his knees by a ghostly opponent's sword. Had his sword came up a moment too late, the Broodling would have been shorter by a head by now. The obstacle courses earlier had been meant to test the basic strength and endurance of the Dragon Clan youth. He had laughed it off, along with the information that the training was life-threatening. Watching as the ghost score a hit on Bateson's arm, the dragon-man grinned as the youth had another close encounter with the Grim Reaper.
Ryu Bateson, spiritually intact, but without his body as of yet winced as the sword bit hungrily into his flesh like a hungry predator of the past. The serrated edges easily cut through his skin and slid easily into his arm, breaking flesh and red blood cells there and then. While he knew that this was only his own spirit, the pain, the sweat and the smell of death seemed real enough. His invisible opponent gave him no luxury time for rest and Ryu had to parry each powerful blow with much difficulty.
'This strength and speed...It's soinhuman! No human ghost can attain this level of power! I'll have to be more serious if I am to keep my head…' Ryu thought carefully as the sword lunged towards him again. "To defeat this, I need to do something, something in particular which will aid me greatly in controlling the Berserker in me..."
"The Valgraen of the Dannath Tais: Wanderers of the Land of Legend. They are the inhabitants of this place, ghosts of the old which have seen and done much even before your first ancestor was born. Born of the Dracois Matios, the Mark of the Dragon, they are the ancestors of the first human-looking members of the Dragon Clan." TheBerserker spirithissed, a sound which could be barely discerned as humorless laughter. "The one you are fighting now is a mere peasant in their society, so do try your best, Broodling." With that, the creature hissed and sat down, the look of contentment only adding to Ryu's frustration.
The ranger cursed silently as the laughter, both mocking and humorless echoed in his head. Damned the connections between him and the Berserker! Although he had agreed to this, the meaning of all these training would have been for naught if his spirit died here or if he failed to understand what he had to do to defeat his wraithlike opponent. Even for a Broodling, the dodging and fruitless attacking only added to the fatigue of Ryu, and without a great amount of concentration to make up for his slowing movements, Ryu could have died a thousand times over-
Concentration?' Ryu's eyes widened as realization struck him like a bolt of lightning from a clear, cloudless sky. If everything was spiritual here, perhaps I've been using the wrong method to attack the Valgraen...In this sense, physical attacks cannot harm it, unless I can make it materialize somehow...
The Valgraen specter watched as the blue-haired warrior closed his eyes, the sword drooping slightly from his right hand.
Like an attack dog given the signal by his owner to tear the enemy's throat out, The ghostly warrior leapt at Ryu with a voracious bloodlust, the equally ethereal sword held in both hands as it swung the great-sword downwards, attempting to chop yet another unfortunate victim into two pieces.
But the scream of anguish and pain that it had come to enjoy over time never came.
Instead, all it heard was the mocking yet triumphant laughter of the Summoner rang in its ears and only its battle instincts saved it from being impaled upon a magical katana from its own prey. Ryu retreated as the specter hissed in recognition of the blade.
"Moradanen! SSSword of the Cloudssssss! Where did you get thisss, little Broodling?"
It was Ryu's turn to look surprised. "You mean this? I pulled it out from a pillar from Nimufu's Tower. But you probably never heard of her before, considering that your age makes you eligible to be my ancestor."
The apparition hissed again, the alien laughter reminding Ryu of a snake which had just cornered its prey-a rat and was playing with it. "Liessss. It dissssappeared after the Betrayal and wassss never found. How could it be that thissss accurssssed weapon landssss in the handssss of a sssstrapping Broodling? Imposssssible!" As the voice rose, so did the gradual materialization of the apparition that had been Ryu's invisible tormentor moments ago occur.
The being was by no means different from the Berserker spirit that had brought him into these god-forsaken barrens, except that it had a more defined head with a slightly longer neck. The eyes had narrow, vertical slits for irises and the tell-tale scales on its face confirmed its race. The chain-mail it wore was as ancient, if not older than the Berserker spirit's. The runes on it radiated a faint reddish light, the malevolent color reflecting the color of that in the Dragon Tear and the intentions of the wraith. The great-sword itself was made of a metal black in color and dull, its edge absent of the luster of shine in blades. As Ryu took a closer look, he saw a pendant hanging loosely around his opponent's neck, a few curves carved in the frame around the glowing jewel in the centre. There was a miniature dragon-head above the jewel.
"The Dragon Tear! But why do you have one?" Ryu shouted his query to the dragon-like warrior before him. The warrior indicated his surprise at the ranger's possession of the same item with angry hisses. Rather than talking, it decided to end everything with actions.
Leaping into action, the dragon-man sent an almighty cleave downwards. Its blue-haired target leap to the left, drawing his long sword at the same time and slashing at the expose right flank of it. The powerful blow was blocked, however, by a dagger that seemed to materialize out of nowhere. Ryu cursed and tried the Shippou Kaze no Awai technique on his opponent. A hiss of pain told him that his gamble of using a weaker but faster technique paid off, though he could not hope for a great deal of damage inflicted on the shade. Dodging swiftly under the high swing of the other's blade meant to separate his head from the rest of his body, Ryu jumped back to catch his breath.
"It works! Once I concentrate, the spirit becomes physical...Well, in this realm, that is..."
The Berserker spirit beamed, two rows of sharp and bright white teeth showing. The Broodling had not disappointed him. In fact, the progress Ryu Bateson had seen far exceeded his expectations. Although the ranger did not know the fundamentals of controlling the Berserker spirit, he was slowly beginning to understand them and apply them to fighting spectral adversaries.
"It seems that the Judge has not chosen wrongly. Ashkael-Krohn...I wonder what he would do if he realizes I'm still alive and in the body of a Brood clansman..." The spirit, apparently satisfied with Ryu's current performance as he engaged his adversary in a deadly and dangerous dance of swords, muttered quietly, a strange sense of nostalgia overcoming his thoughts as he remembered the ancient times…
"Hssss!" No sooner had he tried to remember the 'good old times' did the cry of pain come, loud and definitely nothing like a human's. He smiled. At least his disciple cum host scored another hit on his opponent, even if he had not defeated it yet.
Ryu grinned victoriously. He had managed to actually hurt his opponent, who had so far suffered nothing but a few scratches from his Shippou Kaze no Awai move.
"Now we are equal, Valgraen." Ryu smiled.
Little did he know that was the last smile he plastered on his face while fighting his opponent.
"Wretched Broodling! I will destroy you!" The dragon-warrior bellowed, an ear-shattering roar threatening to blot out Ryu's sense of hearing. As Ryu watched in fascination, the warrior's eyes became dilated and its breathing slowed considerably.
It was also a Berserker.
"What? Damn it!" Ryu exclaimed as his opponent rushed at him with an inhuman speed, almost knocking his sword out of his grasp with overwhelming power. Trying to clear his mind, Ryu concentrated on what could be his most dangerous and violent fight ever.
Zis is it. Princess Petape Hoppa de Tapeta thought, wishing that somehow her brother had listened to her advice and stayed in SimaFort, taking lessons of etiquette and manners and learning how to be a King, like the successors of thrones always do.
It must have been her bad luck to have a brother with wanderlust.
She shook her head, amused and irked by the fact that her brother, who had an insatiable appetite for traveling was as gullible as a babe. He was so clueless about everything Petape sometimes-no, always wondered whether she had any blood relation to her brother at all.
Petape walked towards the throne room with great purpose while the party-with the exception of Ryu-walked behind her. She was what a Creeper would think of as 'beautiful', but the stares that she received from the guards now seemed to reflect nothing of admiration. In fact, if anything, their eyes only showed shock and panic at seeing the entourage behind her.
"It's them!"
"But why are they here? Why are they with the Princess?"
As the chatter continued, Petape thought she had burst a vein in her head. She had always assumed that only the palace maids loved to gossip and talk about other things that they were not supposed to.
How wrong I was…The Princess thought darkly, wondering if the guard who had been secretly bringing food and drink to her authentic brother in prison will get into trouble due to the wagging tongues of prison wardens and such.
As she walked towards the two beautifully ornate gold doors, Petape composed herself and pushed her way through despite the warnings of the guards that the Prince and the King were 'in an important meeting discussing about something confidential'. Her eyes narrowed as they met the surprised ones of the blue-skinned "Prince" and her half-blind father's purple orbs.
"Bonjour, Father." Petape spoke, her voice impatient but warm at the same time. While she could not wait to throw down the gauntlet at the fake Prince's feet, she never failed to become gentler when it came to her father. She had never been one to take a lot from her father, though sometimes his state of half-senility frustrated her on more than one occasion. Presently, she was happy enough that her father had turned, nodded and smiled at her in acknowledgement.
Her mood, though, was spoiled thoroughly by the Creeper next to her beloved father.
"Hello, dear sister. Vhere have you been?" The voice was cheerful enough to mirror that of her real brother's, Petape was no fool. She scowled heavily at the supposed imposter. She was, after all, the younger sister of the Prince. Who else would be able to differentiate the real from the fake?
"Come now, dear sister. I'm really sad zat you vould believe the filthy lies of some people and accuse me of being a fake. I've ze royal signet ring, haven't I?" The Prince walked up to them, holding out his right hand. On his fourth finger was the ring, intricately designed and made to fit for his finger. "I gather that you vish to challenge my claim again, dear sister?"
"Yes I do, but please vatch your mouth, imposter. I'm no sister of yours." Petape snapped back venomously. Katt did not miss the fire of burning hatred in her eyes either. Whether this Prince before them was real or not, Katt admired the Princess for her fiery determination and spirit. Heck, if all goes well, they might even end up as good friends, considering how closely linked their personalities were…
"Release my brother and ve vill challenge you to a cooking contest to determine who's ze real Jean!" Petape announced before anyone could stop her.
I take back what I thought earlier…Katt thought exasperatedly. The Princess was definitely bossier than she was and does things her own way without thinking about the opinions of others. If she had been someone else, the Woren would not have hesitated to land a few blows on her head.
The Prince 'tsked' and smiled. "Ah, my dear, dear sister. Of course I accept. As long as it makes you happy, zen I accept your little challenge. However, Petape," Her mentioned name gave the Princess a notable shiver of disgust and loathing down her spine. "I vill not lose. As you would often tell other people: other zan cooking, zere's nothing much I can do right. And by then, when ze imposter has lost, perhaps I vill be more lenient and exile him from ze kingdom instead of executing him on charges of high treason. After all, it's just a cooking competition, isn't it? I shouldn't get too serious, unless ze imposter gets humiliated." He walked over and Petape stiffened. "Please, Petape. Can't you accept ze fact zat your brother has changed for ze good after traveling so much? I just vish to settle down and live up to Father's expectations and to yours too, nothing more. Vhy can't you just accept a new me?"
"Because my brother vould never say something like zat!" Petape snapped. "Even if he changes that much, I don't believe he would give up his carefree life for another one in the palace, stuck within its entrapments of politics and deceit! Even if you win, I'll never accept you as my brother!"
Was it my imagination, or did he look like a forlorn lamb for a moment?
Forcing herself to be harsh on their current opponent, Nina shook those thoughts out of her mind and tried hard to detect any evil presence in the blue Creeper's body. There seem to be none to worry about, at least for the moment.
Or it could be so well hidden that the Creeper did not have to worry about anybody revealing his true, insidious intentions.
"Be careful..." Nina whispered to Katt and Sten as they tried to figure out whether the sincerity in the Prince's saccharine tone was hollow or not. "An evil person never shows himself to be one." Nina replied in accordance to the questioning looks on their faces. They nodded in understanding and kept silent, aware that anything they say might turn the wheel of fortune against them.
The Prince smiled again, and Nina had no chance of probing his emotions as he regained his cheerfulness. "Very well then, Petape. I'll let you set the conditions for the competition. I can safely assume that these…friends of ours behind you are here to assist you in bringing the truth of yours to light..."
"Of course!" The Princess haughtily put her hands on her hips and smiled maliciously at the man who called himself her elder sibling. "Zey are going to help me find ze legendary Giant Roach, Vater Vorm and Golden Fly for my brother to make ze best dishes and beat you hands down! Ve vill see vho vill be smiling and laughing at ze end, Brother."
The Prince calmly laughed, although it sounded more eerie than cheerful to Nina. Her feathers ruffled ever so slightly and she could not help but link the nature of his laugh to that of the Joker's. Any wisp of sympathy present for him due to his forlorn look a moment ago vanished.
"Ah...Zose ingredients. You're as quick-witted as ever, Petape. I would've zought zat zere vould be little or no challenge for me in looking for zose zings." Turning to the four adventurers behind him, he scrutinized them for a while as though he did not know who they were.
"Hmm...Oh, where's ze blue-haired young man I've seen before? Did he leave ahead of you people?" The smirk was enough to shade the Prince's concerned tone with sarcasm and had Rand not held her back, Katt would have pounced on him and beatenthe livign daylights out of him"Perhaps he is just injured zen...I apologize for being such a poor host from before and I sincerely hope zat ve shall all fight fair in capturing ze rare ingredients. May ze best team vin." He held out a hand to Nina, who-thankfully-remembered her manners and shook his outstretched hand stonily. The Prince simply smiled and withdrew his hand slowly. "Come, my friends. There is a crowd waiting for us out there and we shall release the...the prisoner and announce the competition to begin. I'm sure the end result will clear the dirt off my name for you..."
"It will clear the dirt about the truth and that's all I know." The cherry-skinned Creeper retorted shortly and strode towards the grand veranda with the four of them hot on her heels.
None of them noticed the twisted upward curve present on the face of the blue-skinned Creeper behind them.
"This is never-ending, damn it!" Ryu screamed at the Berserker spirit who was smiling and reading a book while the ranger fought for his life with the berserker Valgraen. It was apparent that his opponent had practically lost consciousness and was attack with a blind and dangerous rage.
"Oi, Berserker! What the hell am I suppose to do now? The Valgraen won't stop attacking!"
"Then make him." The spirit smiled deviously, apparently enjoying the situation his host was in. His smile widened as the volley of curses which were directed at him increased. Whistling to himself, partly to blot out the curses and partly to infuriate Ryu further, the spirit leaned back on a chair he had conjured and continued reading his novel as though nothing was happening.
Damn that bastard...What the hell does he think he is? Ryu ducked under another wild slash and gasped in surprise and pain as a gauntleted fist buried itself into his stomach. He fell and rolled along the ground as the unknown Valgraen soul hacked recklessly and vehemently at him. He had no idea whether his opponent was rational at all or not, considering that either he was screaming some ancient language only the gods knew of, or he was completely off his rocker.
"Don't belittle me, bastard!" Ryu jumped to his feet as the spirit's sword struck soil and dirt again. The ranger slashed it across the chest twice and the ethereal dragon-man stumbled back, hissing. Without the luxury of time to recover, Ryu's opponent had lost his weapon to the unyielding soil.
He ended the battle as soon as he threw the first punch. The feeling of familiarity and power surged upwards, threatening to break his bonds of restrain. This time, Ryu knew what this was and allowed it to consume his entire consciousness.
With dilated pupils devoid of emotion, the Broodling sliced off the hands of his adversary and thankfully granted him a quick death through decapitation.
Hearing a chuckle and the sound of hands clapping behind him, the ranger turned, his rage and bloodlust forgotten.
The smile on its face was a real one.
"Congratulations on passing the first test for the control of your first evolution. It seems that you have mastered a little more of your powers."
"My...powers?"
The wraith laughed at the wondrous and confused expression on Ryu's face. "You should be able to control at least one-thirds of my spiritual power with ease, have easier compromise with your dragon transformations and the ability to produce small amounts of fire at least. Those are, after all, the abilities that Draconians should have."
Looking at the bewildered expression, the spirit could only sigh in exasperation. "You don't remember anything do you? How else would that explain the explosion you caused on Mount Dorgin, kid?"
Ryu felt the familiar stab of irritation ever since he had met with the frustratingly calm and sadistic spirit residing in his body. "...Kid?"
"You have a problem with that? I'm practically several hundred times older than you are." The spirit exaggerated a pose of coughing and straightened. "Look, Broodling. Do you want to get back to your own body or what?"
That seemed to be the prod Ryu needed to snap out of his childish anger. He turned with eyes the sizes of saucers, the imploring emotion in his eyes telling the Berserker spirit all he needed to know what Ryu wanted to inquire about.
"Just do what you did earlier and you will be fine. Oh, by the way, don't worry about how you can get back into your body together with me. As long as there are no alien disturbances and that your transformations don't go out of control, we will stick like glue in that physical part of you. A happy ending, won't you agree?"
"Happy my behind!" Ryu shouted, more than a little pissed this time. "I was going to ask you when the hell you are getting out of my body, geez!"
"Sorry to disappoint you, but things don't work like that. I'm going to be stuck to you for as long as you exist. When you perish, my life would be forfeit. When I die, the same will happen to you, so please take care of your own life and mine as well." He paused, this time a faraway look appearing for an instant in its eyes. "By the way, since you know the truth, I might as well acquaint myself with you. I'm Dannan Gorath, Berserker Spirit. You can call me Dan though. Nice to meet you." The spirit gleefully held out his right hand. Ryu was tempted not to shake it at first, but decided that whatever he thought now could come later. Right now, he had a job to do. He grabbed the hand and shook it firmly.
"Well then, Shall we get going?" Before waiting for a reply, Dan chanted in a strange language, each phrase louder than the last. His hands began weaving patterns in the air and soon enough, cryptic symbols, all brimming with magic appeared before the two of them. They were arranged such that each symbol was in a circle and while Ryu was enthralled by the mystery of them, he had not noticed that the chanting had stopped.
The symbols suddenly pulsed with a violet light and before Ryu could do anything, he felt as though his internal organs were turned inside out. The symbols each emitted a light bright enough to bring luminosity to the darkness of the twilight skies in the night, causing Ryu to feel even more nauseous. His head spun as he felt an invisible hand pull him through a brightly lit tunnel...
"So...We are supposed to find those lil' critters in the old dungeons of the castle and somehow try our best to bring 'em back, alive and kickin'..." Rand swiped absently at another cockroach the size of a human's forearm. "That's a little bit hard, your Highness."
"Ah, but ve must. If not, zese little creatures vouldn't taste ze same, Monsieur Rand." Jean spoke casually as he impaled two gigantic bluebottles like kebabs on his sleek rapier. "I hope zere isn't a problem vith zat..."
"The hell there isn't!" Katt shouted, swinging her weapon frantically to keep the bugs away from her. She reminded Sten of a frantic housewife swinging a broom to kill the insects which have conveniently made themselves at home in her house. "These are...these are..."
"These are what, Katt?" Sten added in, the slyness in his voice almost overriding the curiosity also present in it. Katt silenced him with an intense glare and frantically continued to bash a way through to the next door. The Royal Guards under the Prince's command had already gone through that entrance and probably began searching for the three atypical creepy-crawlies.
Compared to Katt, Nina was having an easy time ever since the healers had restored her ability of flight to her. She was simply throwing fiery projectiles at the insects, which cowered at the sight of the orange-red flame, threatening to consume them and waste them into a black pile of ashes. Although she did not say it out loud, it was obvious that her expression told all that she was still worried about their blue-haired companion, lying in bed in a room of a certain inn, dead to the world in his dreamless slumber.
"Come on, people! The way is clear! Hurry up! Those pesky guards are still a step ahead of us!" Katt beckoned to the rest as she stood in the doorway, looking nonplussed and apprehensive, as though a ghost would jump out of the empty space beside her and attack. The others followed her lead without so much as a word and readied themselves for another series of gruellign fights...
...Only to find the whole area devoid of any signs of life.
"What the?" the simian warrior stood, dumbfounded as the rest could be. The area was dank, as abandoned dungeons should be. What was surprising was that there were no dwellers of the dungeons.
For a place teeming with hostile creatures, this area was eerily silent.
Then, a loud skittering sound was heard and a cockroach of a impossible proportion emerged from the shadows behind the Woren.
"Katt! Behind-" Nina's warning came too late as the humongous insect rammed into her friend, sending her flying. She stood up, more enraged than scared that something so big had snuck up on her and hit her when her guard was down. With a hiss akin to a feline, Katt jumped straight at her assailant.
The insect dodged her attacks with inhuman speed and it was as though it had the intellect of a human as well, considering how it was dodging such that it would not end up cornered against the wall. Furthermore, the Giant Roach only attacked when there was an opening.
"Damn!" Katt panted as she jumped back. She had a few bruises on her body, and there was not a single scratch to be seen on the body of her foe. She crouched down, poised like a leopard, sleek and hungry for blood. Before she could pounce on her prey, however, a green hand found its way to her shoulder and gripped it.
"Calm down, Katt. Zis is not ze way to fight ze Roach ve are looking for." Jean Hoppa de Tapeta spoke, his voice surprisingly calm and serious. Readying his rapier, Jean proceeded to thrust the blade at his target repeatedly, his lightning-fast strikes protesting a stark contrast to his figure. But that was not the only thing the other four adventurers found weird.
"Why is he stabbing at the air before the Giant Roach? Shouldn't he be trying to punch some holes in it or something?" Sten was baffled. No one had seen such an absurd way of fighting. Well, definitely not him, that is.
"Look!" the flying sorceress cried out in unbridled surprise. Her three friends took a closer look to what was the most bizarre thing happening in their lives. As a result of Jean's rapier barrage, the Roach ran about blindly, one of its feelers shorter than the other while Jean stabbed at the confused insect leisurely, crippling it enough such that it was unable to move.
There was no emotion in the usual laughing eyes of the Prince and only cold, grim determination and seriousness were detected in them. As he dealt the killing blow, a muffled and disemboweled scream rose, echoing throughout the area. The Prince walked back, several large pieces of brownish flesh on his hands and that usual cheery expression on his face.
There was not a shadow of what he had showed before he took out the insect.
"Well then," Jean grinned from ear to ear, looking at his companions happily. "Shall we get a move on?"
The second area of the dungeons was surprisingly well-lit, considering that it was at least three times larger than the one they had been in. Nevertheless, how could a dilapidated place like this still experience this level of maintenance?
The answer soon came in the form of a Creeper flying past them and straight at the wall beside them. An audible crack was heard and the Creeper, dressed in the traditional colors of the House Guard of Hoppa de Tapeta slumped, leaving a long streak of thick crimson liquid on the wall as his head slowly slid down.
"So it was the guards, huh..." Sten mused, artfully darting a glance at Jean. The meaning of the look was not lost on him, but he went to confirm the status of the fallen guard. As he felt his pulse and breathing, the Creeper shook his head sadly and covered the widened eyes of the guard. He then saluted him and went back silently to the group, who, taking this as an indication to move on, went ahead of him.
The passages were mostly winding and confusing, but Jean managed to find a passable route. As it was with the second area, there were no monsters blocking their paths and trying to sate their hunger with a small bite of their flesh. There was only a continuous road laid with stone, littered carelessly with gravel. The bends were far and numerous, making the passage seem as though it went on forever.
The next bend, however, gave the party a shred of hope and surprise as they came across a long wooden bridge made of decaying planks and rough ropes. Despite its appearance, it seemed to be strong enough to hold at least ten grown men on it, acting as the only means of transport between the maze and the next stone platform over the large areas of water under it. Everything seemed in place and peaceful…until Rand spotted something bobbing out of the water.
It was the head of a Creeper.
The sharp gasp beside him told him all he needed to know that an intense fight had been fought here, with the guards losing the gamble of their lives to a dangerously cruel and powerful adversary. It was then that Nina began spotting other corpses lying about the bridge and the platform itself. She nearly gagged, since she had never seen such gruesome sights in her life before.
"Ah...Are zey sleeping?" Jean questioned.
That triggered off a series of events.
The statement prompted Katt to smack her paw on her face and as she backed up, knock into Sten who lost balance and fell into the water. Rand dived in after him, only to be repelled by a seemingly invisible force and knocked into the confounded Nina, crashing into the rest like a bowling ball into ninepins.
"Watch it, you oversized ball!" Katt cried as she stood up indignantly, her staff pointing at the dazed and startled, but otherwise unhurt armadillo. They felt the tense atmosphere dissolve ever so slightly as Nina giggled at the antics of her teammates.
That is, until a bloodcurdling war cry from Sten froze the blood in their bodies.
They hurried onto the bridge, finding Sten climbing up the first platform swiftly, while a long mass smashed itself onto the spot where the monkey had once stood. There was a slightly muffled roar as the rest of the body rose from the water.
The length of the bridge seemed tiny compared to the Water Worm. Besides its gigantic mass, the pest (which was aptly called by Katt) had two narrow horizontal red slits for eyes and had two rows of perfectly lined sharp incisors strangely flawless in a grotesque hole, which the party could only guess was its mouth.
This isn't good... Nina thought as she floated upwards, so as to divert the monster's attention. The desired effect was lost as the Worm thrashed about violently and randomly, causing the whole place to shake. Nina shivered at the prospect of having the whole roof collapsing on them. If they did not do anything to stop it…Well, she did not want to think about the consequences.
The raven-winged sorceress began to weave a spell, her hands moving in complex patterns with meanings that only she knew. Before she could send the spell straight at the giant worm, however, a gold streak sped by and knocked the wind out of her. Nina recovered quickly, not entirely sure what-or who had dispelled her attempt at a fire-based attack spell. To her utter shock, it was a big-no, huge fly, its body shone a bright golden color. Everything about it was gold, from its wings to its eyes.
"Vat's ze matter, little girl? Can't see a teensy weensy fly like me?"
So it talks too. Nina stabilized herself easily. There was hardly any wind, let alone turbulence in here to rile the princess. She was sensible enough to tell that the Gold Fly was only trying to agitate her and cause her to fight him without a plan. However, the Winidian was starting to panic as her friends were in a little bit of trouble over a certain Worm. The thrashing of its body was less violent, but deadly accurate. The bridge was broken and Rand narrowly escaped the wrath of the worm's spiked tail.
"Everyone run to the second platform! Hurry!" Nina shouted as loud as she could over the ruckus generated by the Worm. She ducked in time to avoid a spell thrown at her. Hardly holding in her surprise, Nina continued to dodge every spell sent her way from the buzzing insect itself.
"Vat are you doing, little bird? Are you going to run avay from a little fly like me?" The mocking laugh was shockingly human. Nina gritted her teeth, knowing full well that once she lets anger take over her conscience like a virulent plague, she have as much chance as her fleeing friends chopping off a piece of flesh from the Water Worm right now.
She knew that her chances of hitting the pesky Fly were as much as zilch, since the Fly was too fast for her naked eyes. While it was not gaining on her, the sorceress knew that the Fly was just playing with her. She had to come up with a plan and fast, before her friends were handed one-way tickets into the Worm's mouth.
Nina winced in pain as an infinitesimal piece of the ceiling fell, leaving a small wound on her forehead. 'With all these projectiles, it's practically impossible to fly without getting hit-
Then it hit her.
The Winidian princess continued her fleeing and decided to cast the destructive Fireball spell. Her plan was risky and dangerous and the energy she used for casting it was precariously high. The damage done might be insufficient and that could lead to the deaths of her and her companions.
Here goes... Nina whipped around, causing her irritating pursuer to stop laughing and stop flying as well. Her spell ready, Nina smiled deviously and sent her spell to its designated location.
The great ball of fire scored a hit in the ceiling just above the Gold Fly, raining debris on the insect, which still did not know what was going on. A large piece of debris hit the Gold Fly squarely, sending it reeling in pain and pummeling towards the waters below. An angry buzz was heard, and the insect righted itself, avoiding the rest of the debris niftily and angrily speeding towards the culprit of its humiliation.
This is it... Nina braced herself for impact as the insect zoomed towards her. All she could do was pray for her companions' safety as she shielded herself with her arms, all traces of mana in her exhausted...
...But the attack never came. She opened her eyes, expecting to see a golden flying pest hurling insults and taunts at her, zipping around like the irritating fly it was.
Instead, she only saw a flash of red, grey and blue and heard the dying buzz of the fly. It was wounded in the abdomen and head and its wings were neatly sliced off. The Gold Fly dropped, bewildered and defeated. It had no idea what just happened and how it was subdued. The time its contemplation of its loss was cut short by a katana skewering it, sending a small shower of bluish-red blood. Nina found herself grabbed by the waist and landing on the second platform, where cheers, revealing the relief and happiness of her companions greeted her and her savior. Feeling slightly giddy, she leaned on the latter and turned to get a good look at him.
Green eyes.
Azure hair.
A grayish white tunic with red pants...It couldn't be!
"Missed me, guys?" Ryu Bateson, all smiles and not showing a single trace of fatigue greeted them cheerfully. Jean smiled back happily, while the rest of the party stood stupefied, mouths widely agape at their unanimous leader's sudden appearance.
"Was I gone for that long?" The silence was killing him. After returning from the spiritual world of Dannath Tais, all the Ranger could think of was to meet up with his friends. After receiving news of their entry in the cooking contest-courtesy of Petape-, he rushed through the dungeons to reach his friends. Somehow, he was able to detect the presence of them. It could have been the aftereffects of his entry into Dannath Tais, or it could be that his week-long training had paid off. Either way, he was able to sense their emotions, their mana forces within their bodies, pulsating, calling out desperately to anyone who would save them. They were like hearts, beating steadily and loudly as long as their hosts were alive and well-
His head spun, the stars swirling around freely in his head. He staggered slightly and grinned. "Sorry for worrying you, Katt."
"You goddamned sure be sorry! We thought you would never wake-wake up again, you idiot!" The auburn-haired Woren screamed into his ears literally. Ryu laughed sheepishly, hoping to lighten the mood of their conversation. That only seemed to make Katt angrier, who took more liberties with her staff on Ryu's head and body. "Shut up, damn it! You don't even know how worried we were!"
"...Katt? What's wrong?" Ryu was surprised to see a faint indication of moisture in her big green eyes as she glared down at him. It never occurred to him that the battle-hardened Woren would actually shed any tears at all, and it was all because of his condition earlier on.
"I thought you had...you had d-d..."
"Died?" Ryu supplied helpfully, only to have more stars descend upon him. Katt sure had a way of showing her concern, Ryu mused. He stood up and grinned at his tormentor, who had successfully stifled a sob. He smiled softly and patted Katt on her head as though she was a little sister, a person who needed to be cared for and consoled. "Don't worry. It was not life-threatening or anything."
"Like hell it wasn't!"
"I can assure you that it wasn't that serious-" Ryu laughed nervously. He certainly didn't want to be on the bad side of her staff.
"Ryu?" Nina's soft voice floated over to him, breaking him off from the little conversation he was having with Katt. He turned to face the Winidian, who had a mixed expression of happiness, relief, surprise and fatigue on her beautiful face. "But how...?"
The said Ranger simply smiled. "I rushed here as soon as I could. Thought you guys needed some help. It's good to see you again, Nina."
"It's good...to see you...too..." The princess staggered and started to fall, the weight of exhaustion becoming too much for her to carry. Ryu caught her in his arms before she touched the cold, barren stone, the look of concern and slight guilt unmistakable in his eyes.
"I'm sorry I didn't come earlier..."
He's feeling guilty...Is he that worried about me?...Wow... "It's okay...It wasn't...your fault in...the first place..." Nina squeezed out her words through her mouth with difficulty. The Fireball spell must have consumed more energy than she had imagined...
"Don't speak anymore. It's just going to drain more of your strength." A slight tint of redness materialized on his cheeks. "...Let me carry you, alright?"
"I-It's okay, really! I can stand on my own!" The black-winged girl did so...
...Only to have her knees crumble under her without a single ounce of resistance.
Oops...Looks like I can't walk after all...Eh? Nina a pair of arms, strong and sturdy carried her, one hand around her back and the other around her legs. "Wh-What're you doing?" She could literally feel the unbearable heat on her flaming cheeks raising her temperature steadily. She had not really expected Ryu to be so bold as to do something like that...Or at least that was what she thought. Had the knock he received really change him that much?
"Don't worry, princess. You're as light as a feather, no pun intended." The wink and bright smile from the blue-haired teenager broke down her resistance to protest and struggle out of his arms, as though both had some sort of charm over her. The Winidian princess nodded quietly. The faint blush did not go unnoticed by a certain Woren, who glared at her and huffed.
"Both of you look like you were married or something..." Katt snorted, her disdain obvious to all those present. Ryu almost dropped Nina and laughed nervously at Katt while Nina almost fell out of Ryu's arms of her own accord.
"I-It...It isn't what you think!" Both of them said simultaneously, earning each slight reddish tints on their cheeks. Ryu laughed it off nervously again, since he did not have a clue why Katt would ask such questions.
"Hummph!" Katt snorted once more. She was not one to complain anyway, even if she did feel jealous...
'Did I just think that I felt jealous?'
"A-Anyway, Let's not dilly-dally and bring those pieces of meat up. We've to hurry for that cooking competition you know." She abruptly stalked off, dragging a bemused Sten with her in toll.
"Well I'll be. Katt, aren't ya goin' to get some o' that off those critters?" Rand was obviously amused at how uncomfortable Katt was in this situation. The feline warrior stopped mid-stride and turned to cut off a generous amount of the Water Worm's meat, which had its head skewered by a familiar longsword. She pulled out the weapon effortlessly and wrapped the flesh with a piece of cloth. Striding over to the fallen Gold Fly, she did the same and returned with a nonplussed expression.
"Ermmm...Thanks Katt..." Ryu spoke with caution, aware that the bow staff was still gripped tightly in her hands as she handed both of his weapons to him.
"Just don't be so irresponsible, alright? One of these days, there won't be anyone who cares enough to clean up after you." Katt hid a reluctant grin behind her staff and hastily placed them in the Winidian's hands. As she did so, she lowered her head so as to whisper in her ears.
"Don't think you have won yet, princess. This little battle is far from over." Her teasing tone suggested to Nina that her friend was not really angry, but was still troubled by her words anyway. Katt winked mischievously and ran off towards the exits of the dungeons, leaving the others in the dust. Ryu could only shake his head in a confused manner as he contemplated the strangeness of Katt's actions and words.
"What was that all about?"
Only silence and the shaking of her head from the sorceress in his arms greeted him, reflecting either the confusion or the denial of his companions.
"Let the cooking competition begin!" The announcer shouted, even though there was an inconspicuous absence of the greatest audience in such events: Enthusiasm. The crowd below the lavish and grand veranda clapped, while a few half-hearted cheers rang out. Ryu, Nina, Katt, Rand and Sten just stood awkwardly at one side, watching in wonder as the two Princes begin to show off what they were capable at. Executing each movement of chopping, dicing and even mincing gracefully and majestically, the two Creepers worked with a feverish intensity on their artistic and sumptuous delicacies to be presented to the King, who seemed to have been resurrected from his usual stupor, having been seen to be bouncing up and down ever so slightly at the buzz from the atmosphere of the competition.
"Sometimes I wonder at the intelligence of organizin' such matches. What do ya say, Ryu?" Rand mused out aloud, which was unfortunately overheard by Petape, prompting her to send a deadly glare in the direction of the armadillo. He smiled sheepishly in return while Ryu chuckled. Rand was probably never a good liar, since what he voiced out was purely his opinion.
"Ryu?" The shy voice came out more in a squeak than the owner intended for it to. "Could you...put me down? I think I can stand by myself..."
"Not today, Nina." Although Ryu spoke with a cheeky tone, he was very sure his heart was pumping abnormal quantities of blood to his face and body. Well, any normal male would have felt the same if they were holding a ravishing princess with equally beautiful black wings, now neatly folded and placed in such a way that Nina was able to lie comfortably. He felt as though he had the need to look away from the Winidian's eyes, knowing if he did so, he might get a even higher temperature on his scale.
Fortunately for the warrior, the Princes have finished with their food and the serving had began for the judges: Three of the best cooks in their kingdom (aside from Jean) and the King himself were to taste and rate the cooking of the two Jeans.
The blue-skinned Creeper grinned widely, as though he had won already.
Ryu's Dragon Tear flashed crimson.
Hmm...That bastard's got something up his sleeve... Ryu thought. He set Nina on her feet and kept one hand on the hilt of his weapon, even as Nina leaned on his back for support.
"Ryu, What's-"
"Shhh...It's about to begin. The judging, that is."
Indeed it was. The cooks took a small bite out of the blue-skinned Creeper's food. Ryu watched their expressions closely and smiled as he watch them grimace a little before putting on the biggest mask of smiles and lies on their frog faces.
"Ah! Zis is vonderful! Ze flavouring is perfect! Full marks for zis!"
"Magnificent, as expected from our real Prince!"
"...Horrible...No coordination of spices used in ze dish."
Ryu could not believe his ears. He whipped his head up to look at the chef who had actually criticized the blue-skinned 'Prince' and his culinary skills. He could be considered the shortest Creeper in history, his height a mere three-quarter of Ryu's. The ridiculously curled mustache probably took more than a few hours to do and the chef's hat was probably about half his height. Appearances did not matter, Ryu decided. This chef could unconsciously be helping them reduce the bloodshed that might follow if their friend lost.
As the King tasted what the other Prince Jean had declared as his 'best dish', the scores went up and it read 10, 10, 0 and 5 respectively.
"Zis is incredibly outrageous! Monsieur Louis, our most experienced chef has not given any marks for ze fine vork of our beloved Prince. Vat is going on?" Turning to the plumper Jean, the announcer scoffed, disdain and all visible on his face. "And now for ze imposter, who even dared to speak of our Highness's name and use it for his own. I'm pretty sure zat his results vill be much vorser zan our Prince, but it is up to ze honorable judges to decide."
Without even looking at any of the food he had made, the first two chefs gave a 0 each while Chef Louis slowly and carefully went through each dish like the experienced gourmet he was.
"Ryu." Nina's voice brought his attention to her, something he had been trying hard not to do. He silently swore that he could hear a otherworldly chuckle resonating in his mind and cursed at it. A second entity can prove to be problematic in cases such as this.
"W-What is it?" His voice was a little more wobbly than he had imagined, causing him to regret opening his mouth. But by now, Ryu had noticed that Nina was standing on her own, her blue eyes shining with mana dormant in her veins. "Nina? You alright?"
He gasped as he felt her clutch his hands. "Give me a little power. I'm close to breaking the mind spell over the King." With that, the sorceress spoke no more and continued to concentrate, the light in her eyes growing brighter and brighter each second. Ryu nodded even though he did not know what his winged friend was really doing. Then again, he had other matters to worry about, such as transferring a little power to her and protecting his Creeper friend if all roads point to the worst scenario.
"Ve've a verdict!" The announcer shouted, his voice dripping with dark triumph. The score for the green-skinned Jean read 0,0, 10 and 4. Ryu could almost feel the whole atmosphere wince together with him as he thought about whether he needed to use his alter-ego to finish this. Beside him, Katt, Rand and Sten tensed up, each of them gradually falling easily into their fighting stances as they see the guards raising their weapons tentatively. 'Come on Nina...'
"Stop!" A strangely familiar voice cried out, wizened but so commanding that even the Ranger stopped pulling out his longsword. An audible gasp rose from the passive crowd, the judges, Princess Petape and even the two Princes.
The King, also known as Enkaru Hoppa de Tapeta, stood up for a long time in coming, his ancient eyes opening to show two black orbs, seeming to contain a great amount of wisdom and surprise in them at this moment.
"Such a contest holds no meaning when I know who my son truly is. Zis contest is hereby adjourned." Above the thunderous cheers from the common crowds, the King turned slowly and meaningfully towards the other two chefs, who practically shriveled like dead flowers as he stared hard at them. "I vill deal vith you accordingly. But first, I have to ask you about your motives in helping zis imposter to ascension. Vhy did you do it?"
"Mercy, Your Majesty! Ve vere tempted by ze offers of riches and glory he offered us. Any normal Creeper vould have succumbed-"
"Silence!" The booming command either had no effect on the Creeper commoners or it was something that they had been missing, because if anything, it only brought about louder cheers. "Do not talk back to your King in zis manner. Zat is no excuse for committing high treason." Without waiting for a reply, Enkaru boomed: "I hereby lay you with charges of high treason and both of you are exiled henceforth, never to return. May St. Evrai bless your wretched souls. Guards! Take them away." With that, he turned to the people and waved, a huge smile under his bushy white mustache. As he basked in the glory of being back in power, the King turned to his sons and his friends.
"I guess an order of zhanks is in order for you brave adventurers. For zis, I shall revard all of you greatly. As long as I have Petape and Jean by my side, zere's nozzing more I vould vant." The King extended a hand towards Ryu, who promptly shook it. Katt, however, was looking in all directions and sniffing along the floor tiles of the veranda.
"Something wrong, Katt?"
"You betcha. I don't see the Princess of SimaFort anywhere. Have you seen her, Vine-arms?"
Sten winced, knowing that she was referring to his arms, which were able to stretch to abnormal lengths. "No. She wouldn't be running off anywhere on her own after seeing her Dad come to her senses and her brother's name cleared." A horrible realization struck in as he pondered all other reasons of her mysterious disappearance. "Don't tell me..."
Katt nodded. "She's been taken by that bastard. I sniffed out her scent as well as the imposter's. They seem to be heading for the back of the throne room."
"Ze back of ze zrone room? Ve must stop him!" Enkaru wobbled and fell flat on his face as he tried to run. "Argh...Too many days of meditation on ze stupid zrone..." Turning to the party of adventurers before him, he opened his mouth, only to have Ryu cut him off with a sudden smile. The Ranger bounded off towards the biggest area of the palace, hot on the heels of a Creeper Prince who had run off like a madman on hearing the danger his little sister was in. Nina pouted at being left behind, though she would probably be of little use in her current condition. Looking wistfully as her friends followed Ryu, the Winidian Princess helped the wizened ruler up and noticed the puzzled expression on his face.
Nina smiled. "Don't worry, Your Majesty. Ryu has always been like this. There shouldn't be any problems as long as he's there. I trust him."
The old Creeper smiled, accepting Nina's help, who had shaken off her dizzy spell by now. "Thank you very much, Princess. If you were wondering how I knew who you were..." He trailed off as he gestured to her black wings. Nina's smile faltered slightly, but it was back up again as she took the old ruler by his arm and led him to a seat. He adjusted his position and called for the crowd to disperse and resume their daily activities.
"Eraine," He spoke, an uncharacteristically sly smile on his face. "How do you find that handsome young lad?"
Nina nearly slipped and fell upon hearing the question. "Um...H-Him? Are you t-talking about R-R-Ryu?" She silently cursed her tongue, wondering why is it that any questions regarding her green-eyed friend caused it to tie itself into a knot. "I-I don't know..."
The King laughed heartily, a sound Nina never thought she would hear when she first saw him. "I see. Take your time my dear. I must add, he seemed to be a good young man who does what he believes in without hesitating. I'm sure you find him appealing as well." The old Creeper laughed again as he saw the redness deepen on Nina's face. "I won't embarrass you any further, my dear. How is my old friend Ascorr?"
"Huh? There's only a wall here..." Ryu felt along the walls, puzzled that Jean, Petape and the imposter had disappeared into thin air after going into the throne room. Then again, the King had said something about "the back of the throne room", which meant that there probably was a secret mechanism which needed to be activated.
Ryu tried knocking on the walls, but gave up after hearing dull sounds resonating from the solid wall. He was hard-pressed for time, knowing that every single second he squandered could mean the last of the royal siblings. "Damn! If only Nina was here. She would've blown this crap away with a Powerspell..."
"Outta the way, Ryu!" The Ranger turned and leapt out of the way as a humongous spherical mass rolled towards him. It crashed into the wall and Ryu heard a grunt of pain, which sounded like it was from Rand. Katt, who was running on top of the mass leapt into action and swung with all her might at the weakened barrier. The wall crumbled literally, revealing a stairwell leading downwards into the deeper sections of the castle.
"HEY! Watch what you're trying to hit!" Ryu shouted at them, the look of irritation evident on his features. His scowl deepened as Rand and Katt laughed at his reaction. "I'll deal with you guys later. Right now we've got a Prince and Princess to save." He sprinted towards the stairwell and took three steps at a time. Sten followed soon after, as did the sniggering pair.
It didn't take long for them to reach the bottom of the stairwell. Like the second area of the dungeon, the area was well-lit and cavernous. Stalactites of a great number hung from the ceiling while the floor was laid with ancient stone tiles, each bearing a strange glyph of a language unknown or lost in the mists of time.
There was a strange, podium-like structure in the centre of the room and a narrow road leading further away from it to a impressive Creeper statue. Ryu saw the imposter standing next to the structure, his face contorted in a vile mask of surprise and dark glee. Petape was lying next to him while Jean was seen slumped against the left cavern wall, the huge crack in it telling them what had happened to the frog Prince.
The look of surprise soon turned into one of terrible hatred and if looks could kill, all of them would have gone to their Makers on the spot.
"You!" The Creeper snarled, all traces of humanity leaving him. The voice sounded suspiciously like what Ryu had encountered in Augus and the Joker. His thoughts were unfortunately reinforced by the black gem shining in the middle of his pendant.
"It was all because of you little crittersss that I lost everything! It was you! All of you! You shall pay for thissss!" The group watched in horror as the Creeper slowly mutated into something huge and grotesque. His muscles rippled as the transformation began to take place. His eyes bulged unbelievably in their sockets and his slimy tongue grew longer, and longer, such that its length was the height of a tall, grown man. Boils soon invaded his body and his face twisted and grew while his body bulged as well.
"Grroowwwrrr!" The creature roared as it took form It looked like a replica of Jean's ancient Creeper form, except that it was twisted and uglier in appearance. While Jean's form could be called a 'giant frog', the words 'giant toad' floated into Ryu's mind as he looked at the monster before him.
"Damn, but that's a real monster we've got on our hands this time." No sooner had Rand spoke when the creature's tongue lashed out at him, knocking him several feet back. He rolled on the floor for several more and laid still.
It burped rudely, sending a wave of gas into Sten's direction. He lost his senses momentarily and staggered a few feet before being swept into the air by the swing of the toad's front leg. A gurgling sound, which Ryu assumed as laughter sounded, the strange noise reverberating off the cavern walls.
The weird laughter stopped when a long, thin and pink tongue wrapped itself around Sten to save him from crashing into the wall behind him. Ryu followed the tongue and came upon the sight of what he had first seen when he stepped onto the Western continent.
"Jean!" Katt cried. She received a huge smile from the giant frog, which jumped at the bluish one with ferocity absent in the Prince. The two amphibians fought, both with such viciousness and ferocity that even Katt did not dare go near them for fear of getting killed.
The giant toad hammered a leg into the flank of Jean, who grunted and sent one of his own in retaliation. The toad gurgled and jumped up before the attack could reach him and body-slammed into Jean. He rolled on the floor and lashed out at his opponent with his tongue, using it like a whip and trying to blind the toad by aiming at his giant eyes. The toad gurgled again and slapped the pinkish whip away as though it were nothing more than a pest. It pounced upon Jean and threw him a few dozen feet more. Dazed, Jean tried to stand but collapsed when one of his legs gave way.
"Fool! How can a weakling Prince like you beat me, Kuwadora?"
"...Vat? You-You're Kuwadora?" Jean replied as he reverted to his old form. Standing up weakly, his eyes were clouded over by shock and realization. "You-you're my half-brother?"
"Indeed I was! I can't believe you have forgotten me, that everyone has forgotten me. Worse of all, Petape doesn't even remember her childhood friend!" Kuwadora roared. His eyes glowed an unearthly green as he picked up the said Princess and deposited her on his back. "After being adopted by that old fool Enkaru, I was duped into thinking that I would live a good life and be happy even though my parents died. I was tricked by both of you, saying that you will be my friends forever, that both of you will always stay with me!" The venom in his voice almost matched that of his skin and it was clear to Ryu that the Dragon Tear was almost certainly wailing. There was more than just one negative emotion that had overcome the half-prince.
"Instead, the old fool went away and your mother sent me away, deeming me to be a bane to the royal family. To make sure I stayed dead, she even sent an assassin after me!" The toad gradually began to deform. "How right she was in thinking that! It was my fortune that the assassin could not bear to kill children and actually brought me up! What a twist of fate indeed!"
"Kuwadora..."
"Save it! Royalty will never understand how thedire needs of the poor!Not now, not ever! You don't understand a thing, so don't just ignore the fact that you were ignorant and try to shun the problem!" A purple aura seemed to cover Kuwadora as he returned to his original Creeper form. Ryu's hair stood on an end as he felt the spiritual power of the half-prince reach frightening heights. He drew his long sword for good measure and was thoroughly surprised that the cornered villain punched a glyph on the podium-like structure instead, running to the statue as though his life depended on it.
"Stop! Kuwadora, please! Ve didn't know zat vould've happened! Petape isn't involved in zis madness! Leave her out of it!" Jean screamed, hobbling towards his half-brother in vain. Katt helped and supported him as he stumbled and fell to his knees. Ryu turned to look at the still forms of an armadillo and a Highlander, shook his head and hurried after the ranting, mad half-prince.
"You're too late, Ranger! The secret weapon of the Hoppa de Tapeta is mine!" The Creeper now stood in the middle of the narrow path, laughing maniacally as he grabbed Petape in a stranglehold. Ryu halted in the middle of his charge.
That action would have been his last error had he not ducked and dodged the swift and fatal stabs of the sword. The blade itself was made of iridescent obsidian while the hilt seemed to be created by the finest craftsman. It was a cross between a rapier and a longsword, a weapon fit for a warrior king. Ryu almost let out a sigh of awe as he had a close-up of it while it narrowly missed his throat by a few millimeters.
"Stop dodging and fight me like the Broodling you are!" Anger strong in his voice, Kuwadora slashed downwards at Ryu. The Ranger was momentarily shocked and could only parry with his weapon. The shock did not subside as he watched some dark tendrils of evil energy wrap themselves around his longsword, slowly causing it to rust and corrode.
"What the-?" Ryu leapt back, only to have his adversary chase after him. The narrow path was dangerous for Ryu, who found balance strongly desired in such a fight. On the other hand, Kuwadora attacked Ryu with a ferocity that surprisingly showed grace and fluidity in his movements like a seasoned swordsman.
His friends watched worriedly as their leader's sword was slowly dissolved by the mystical black sword. There were more than a few holes in his clothing as the attacks intensified. There was no telling when the Creeper would score a direct hit on Ryu. However skilful he is, he could not possibly hold out for so long.
Katt made for the narrow ledge-like path but was stopped by a giant hand. Rand had awoken from his daze.
"I have to help him! If this keeps up, Ryu might-might get in trouble!"
"He is already in trouble, Katt. Whatcha gonna do even he ya get over ter him, eh?" He felt Katt stiffen and lowering her staff. "We just hafta trust him on this one."
"Haven't we always?" They turned at the voice, taking in the sight of a limping monkey warrior, but otherwise unhurt. "Every time something like this crops up, he's always the one to take care of everything." He winced as he tried to move his arm. "Damn! I've always thought armor to be useless. Until now, that is..." Without warning, he began to chant and conjure the Bomb spell.
"Jump, Ryu!" Sten shouted. He threw the multi-colored ball of energy at the ledge and destroyed it, just as Ryu grabbed the un-noticed Petape and leaping back to the main part of the cavern.
"You're going nowhere with my beloved Petape!" The deranged scream sounded as inhuman as the look in his eyes was demonic. He had leapt higher than the blue-haired warrior, the sword held in both hands with the blade pointing downwards at him.
Kuwadora grinned in triumph as he stabbed down at an impossibly fast speed...
"NO! Ryu!" Katt screamed. She did not know what compelled her to do so, but that was all she could think of doing when the blade reached Ryu's heart as he crashed to the floor, creating enough dust to blind them for three seconds.
As it started to clear, Katt was already making her way towards her fallen friend with a vengeance but the big grey hand stayed on her shoulder, stopping her from moving.
"Let me at 'im!" Katt screeched, intent on unleashing her anger on anyone who stopped her. Rand shook his head and gripped her shoulder more firmly, pointing with his left hand to place where Ryu had fallen. Katt gasped.
The smoke cleared and the others finally understood why Rand had prevented Katt from rushing into the fray. Ryu had somehow grabbed Kuwadora's sword sheathe and contained it at the moment the Creeper had stabbed at him. Similarly, he had drawn the katana with a backhand and slashed upwards, scoring a deep, diagonal wound across the chest of his opponent.
Kuwadora's eyes widened in surprise and admiration as he released his sword, collapsing to the ground as his blood spewed from his wounds slowly. "Amazing...Looks like I've underestimated you, Broodling...You fought well..."
"So did you." Ryu tried not to pant as he stood up, wrenching the Creeper sword from the weak grasp of the blue-skinned amphibian. One second later and both him and the princess of SimaFort would have been skewered like helpless pieces of meat on a kebab stick. Literally dumping Petape into the arms of her brother, Ryu stood before the half-prince who had fallen from grace. The Dragon Tear flashed a new color that Ryu had never seen before. The grayish color seemed to mirror the emotions of his beaten enemy, who knelt before him as though he was begging for help and mercy out of despair.
"...Why did you do it, Kuwadora? You obviously knew that even by letting the demon into your heart, nothing will change. Petape will never accept you as long as you are in a false form." As he spoke, the blue faded from the Creeper's skin and was replaced by the familiar green of a normal Creeper. Even his facial features experienced a metamorphosis-like transformation: From that of a haughty prince, it slowly morphed into another face, one that was haggard but nevertheless handsome.
"Varrior...Let me speak to Jean and Petape...Before you end my life...Ze accursed spirit is zhreatening to take over my body again...and I fear ze next possession is ze final..." He looked up at Ryu pitifully, his eyes voicing the despair and sadness in his heart. Ryu stepped aside without hesitation and the dying Creeper came face to face with a limping prince and a unconscious princess.
"Jean..."
The Prince sighed. Even though Kuwadora had tried to kill him, he knew he was never one to do so intentionally or of his own free will. Besides, he never liked holding grudges even for a few seconds more. "Kuwa, don't vorry about it. I'm sure Petape zinks ze same vay."
"But I've hurt her! I've injured and kidnapped her to zis place vithout her consent! She vould never forgive me..."
"Kuwa! Stop zat zinking, its all codswallop! Petape has never and vill never blame you! If I don.t blame you, I don.t see any reason vhy my little sister vould zink differently!" Jean smiled genuinely and held out a hand to his half-brother. "If possible, please accept my sincerest apologies for letting you suffer all zis years, dear brother. Let me correct ze wrongs of my mother. I hope you find it in your heart to forgive all of us, Kuwa."
The kneeling Creeper felt tears brimming in his large, blue eyes, threatening to spill any time on the stone floor. He reached out for the outstretched hand...
...And the sickening sound of a sword stabbing through a body was heard.
The look on Kuwadora's face was no longer that of happiness, but of peace and a hint of sadness. Blood flowed out of his mouth and more spurted from the fatal wound he received in the back. He grabbed the hands of Jean and smiled as his eyelids gradually close and he Kuwadora died before he hit the ground.
"What a useless specimen..." The shocked group faced up, anger and fear dominating their every thought and emotion. Everyone except Jean drew their weapons in anticipation of the fight with the man who had plunged his weapon into Kuwadora.
There, floating in the air, wearing fine livery and a huge, malicious smile, was Andaroy Darksoul.
Whee...Cliffhanger! (Dodges any projectiles thrown and hides behind a sofa) It's been too long since I've used that. How was the chapter so far? Any useful criticisms, suggestions and flames (only if they are logical) are welcomed. If you need any explanations, I'll try to include them in the next chapter. Sorry if the story seemed rushed. My schedule is more packed then ever as exams loom over the horizon and yeah, just tell me if I need to speed this up or add a little bit of romance and action. Thanks for reading such a lousy story and see you people next time!
A/N:Kuwadora changes his accent back to a French one because he had reverted back to the good ol' Kuwadora. The one who spoke without an accent was the one possessed by the demon spirit in him.