Genso Suikoden 2 Dunan Unification War
Chapter 2
Prisoner at the Fort
'This fort sucks.' Riou thought sourly. 'This could never withstand an attack.'
The group went downstairs into the basement; a cell was open. "This will be your room for a while." Viktor told him. "It's small and not to comfortable but you'll have to live with it since your are prisoner."
Riou just simply nodded.
Viktor looked at him funny and he put him in the cell and shut the door, he gave him a pair of clean clothes, and Riou was left alone.
Riou woke up the next morning feeling sore. His head still hurt from the fall into the river. Riou wondered if Nanami was starting to worry about him. In a couple of agonizing minutes, a big, bulky man opened the door.
"So, your that Highlander?" the man said. He looked at Riou with bold eyes. He did not look like a person to fight against the City-States of Jowston. "What's your name?"
"Riou, and yes I'm a Highlander." Riou told him.
"Ok." The man replied. "The name is Pohl. I'm your caretaker for a while." Pohl stopped and smiled. "Now your not here to just sit around and moap. So your first assailment is..." Pohl ushered Riou to follow.
He led him into what look like a large storage house. "Your first assailment is to fix this warehouse up. You need to push these boxes against the wall." That was all Pohl said and left.
Riou looked at the boxes and started on the first one. After three minutes he got done the first. Riou fell on the ground exhausted. After another 15 minutes, all the boxes where pushed up against the wall. Riou was about to leave the room when he spotted a short pile of rope. 'This could be useful.' Riou thought as he grabbed the rope and put it in his pocket as best as he could. Once he was outside, Pohl was standing next to the door.
"Done already, wait here while I go check." Pohl said suspiciously. He went into the room and came back smiling.
"You did a very good job." Pohl said gleefully.
"Of coarse." Riou told him, He started to like Pohl. "Although I'm a little tired."
"I'm not surprised." Pohl said smiling. "After all, we need lots of supplies to feed this many people. And in case we ever get besieged."
Riou and Pohl headed back to the cell. He waited for Pohl to come back from getting his dinner. Pohl did come back with a full coarse meal. Riou thought this might not be so bad after all.
The next day Pohl woke Riou up. He was still sore from the last job he did.
"Come on Riou." Pohl kept shaking him.
Riou got up and Pohl handed him breakfast. After he was done, Pohl continued. "Ok, here's your nexts assiment. I need: 2 pairs of boots, 3 flints, and 2 bags of flour. Get the flints from the blacksmith, get the boot from the armor shop and get the flour from the item shop ok."
Riou nodded and started with the boots. Riou headed toward the armor shop, which was the biggest room on the floor. A woman named Barbara saw him coming in.
"Hello, how may I help you?" Barbara asked him politely.
"I need two pairs of boots, please." Riou told her in the same matter.
She went to the storage room and got the boots. "Thanks." was all Riou had said. Barbra nodded and Riou left.
Riou did the same thing; he headed to the blacksmith and got 3 flints. After that he went to the saloon and then the itemstore.
"Can I get two bags of flour?" Riou asked the itemstore manager.
"Flour?" He said. "Sorry... Were all of flour? You need to go to Ryube Village."
Riou nodded and went back down stairs to bring the items to Pohl.
"Ok, hand it over." Pohl said. He looked in the bag. "2 pairs of boots, 3 flints and...where the Flour."
"The itemstore owner said that, he out of flour and he said there's some in Ryube Village." Riou told Pohl.
"Very well." Pohl said disappointed. "Talk to Leona and see if you can get some one to go with you."
Riou nodded and left. He sighed, hoping that he would have been able to sneak out and go to Kyaro, 'but it to late.' Riou thought sourly. He made it to the saloon in ten minutes. A woman clothed in red and black hair with a red streak was standing behind the counter.
"Hey kid, who are you?" Leona asked
"Riou." Riou replied. "I need someone to go with me on a errand to Ryube."
"An errand to Ryube eh?" Leona said smiling. "I'll get Gengen and Tuta. Wait here."
Leona left the counter and came back with a strong built Kobold and a small boy with a slingshot for a weapon.
"Here you are." Leona said turning to the small boy. "Now Tuta, you are to go to Ryube with this boy Riou." Leona then handed Riou's tonfas to him. "Becareful."
They nodded and left for the door. When the got to the door, Pohl ran up to Riou and talked. "Your going with Gengen? Then you'll be fine. Ryube is northeast of here."
"Good." Gengen said. "Gengen likes adventures."
The group reached the town of Ryube in less then 15 minutes. Ryube is a small hunting village located towards the eastern edge of the Muse Principality. The village functions, as one of the few travel stops for the few travelers that travel between Highland and Dunan. Through the North Sparrow Pass. A well-known spear master by the name of Tsai is said to live in the forested hills behind Ryube. The forest adjacent to Ryube is an excellent hunting ground for wild boars, and hunters are often seen in the woods.
"Hey, Riou." Tuta said after the uneventful trip. "Let look around, you might like this town."
They did look around because the Itemshop was at the back of the town, they did not stay long though. The group got 6 bags of flour (just in case,) and the group left to the Mercenary Fortress.
"O.K. Good that is all of it." Pohl said looking at the two bags of flour. "Let get you some food."
Riou was stuffed by the time Pohl came back. The cook gave him so much food that he did not know if he could finish it.
"How's the food?" Pohl asked. "I told the told the cook to give you extra because you've been working so hard."
Riou grunted with pleasure and fell to sleep.
Riou was waiting outside the cell for his next chore. Riou really started to like the fortress, although the work is tiring. Pohl came back with the instructions.
"O.K. Here's today's chore. You see the oil spills?" Riou nodded. "I want you to clean them up. There's 2 in the basement, 1 in the saloon, and 2 on the upper floor."
So Riou got to work. Working only with a rag and a bucket of water he cleaned all five icky, and hard to clean oil spots. Riou came back with sweat on his brow.
"Wow." Pohl said impressed. "The floors look great. You got some talent."
"Of coarse, it's my talent." Riou told him. "When I was in the Youth Brigade, they made us work."
"Your not the type to be in the military, are you?" Pohl asked.
"Well, when my grandpa Genkaku died." Riou explained. "I had to join the military."
"Well anyways you're an intresting kid." Pohl said.
Riou was in the cell after another overstuffing meal, he was lying on the bed when he heard someone call. "Riou. If you are hearing, answer me! Riou!"
Riou startled up and looked around and said quietly. "I'm here."
To Riou's relieve the figure was Jowy's. Jowy still had that happy look. But there was weariness in him.
"Where have you been."? Riou asked.
"I can't say right now." Jowy told him. "First let's get the hell out of here."
Jowy unlocked the door and Riou followed him up the stairs, only to be stopped by a group of solders. Jowy handed Riou his tonfas and got his own weapon (staff) in his hand, but the group of solders did not move. Flik came up behind the group with a weary face.
"Ok, That is far enough. Give yourselves up before you make us adults mad."
"Lets bust out." Jowy said; staff ready in hand. But Riou who was smarter than that was willing to give up, because there are too many solders.
"...I Understand." Riou said.
"So what is really going on?" Viktor asked them in the main office. "And who are you?" He asked the blue claded youth.
"Jowy-Jowy Atriedies." Jowy told, frightened of the bear-like person.
"So what is going on?" Flik turned to Riou.
"I already told you. We were..." Riou said defensively, but Viktor interrupted him saying.
"I have already contacted the United City-States of Jowston about the 'So called attack' and they said they had nothing to do with it." Viktor told them with a smile of satisfaction. "So you better tell the truth if you know what is good for you."
Riou gulped and finally gathered his wits finally said. "The truth is that the Highland army had ambushed the Youth Brigade in the middle of the night."
"That's better." Viktor smiled, than turned to Jowy. "So what where you planning to do when you escaped."
"Well." Jowy began. "We where going to go back to Kyaro Town to get Riou's sister, Nanami."
"Hmph." Viktor thought. "Well you can stay are prisoner for a while. We'll give you a place to sleep."
"So where were you after you jumped from the cliff?" Riou asked. They where both in the cell with no way to get out.
"Well." Jowy began. "After I jumped from the cliff. A little girl found me and brought me back to their house to mend my wounds. When I heard that there was a prisoner in this fort I decided to check it out."
The cell door creaked open a Pohl came in with the food. They took it gratefully and took a bit. Riou almost chocked up the food. 'Almost like my sister's cooking.' Riou thought funnily.
"I know this might not be the best stuff. But try to eat it all." Pohl said ruefully.
"Hey?" Jowy asked. "Can I have a spoon?"
"What a fine noble man?" Pohl said sarcastily and left.
Riou looked at Jowy with suspsious eyes. Jowy looked at him. "Want a carrot?"
That night Jowy was fumbling with himself while he watched Pohl take the dishes (Except the spoon.) As Pohl left, Jowy grabbed the spoon. Riou watch in wonder.
"Are you going to try to escape?"
"Do you want to stay here and eat food that tastes like your sister's cooking?" Jowy asked him as he unbolted the door. "This time we won't get caught."
The two went up stairs, when they found a couple of guards walking around.
"Woh." Jowy said to his friend. "Watch this!" Jowy took the oil rag and flint and created a small fire and he thrown it in the saloon.
"Lets get going or we will get caught." Riou told his friend and they went upstairs towards the balcony. Once they where they're Jowy asked.
"Let me see that rope."
Riou gave Jowy the rope and Jowy made a small knot on the rail and they slid down on the rope to the ground.
"So what should we do? Jowy asked Riou.
"Lets go to Kyaro and get my sister." Riou said and they head northeast.