Wheels of Fate, BoF II novelization.
Summary: Novelization of Breath of Fire II: Shimei no Ko (The Destined Child). Some events altered. Strong language will be in play.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters; they belong to Capcom, as the game does. I own nothing, hear ye, lawyers. But that doesn't gets you the permission to publish this as a book without the proper written and legally signed consent of whoever holds the copyright.
Another Note: Well, since the Dragon Tear is going to be used a lot, I'll explain some of its inner working in my take:
- The jewel carries a guardian spirit for a time; this entity is always scouring the surroundings, but will only convey the emotions of relevant people to the legitimate bearer of the jewel –or the story, in this case-. This way it doesn't spam the user with a ton of feelings, and he'll learn to recognize the feelings emanated from it, without the need of looking at the necklace. However, he may take a glance once in a while just to confirm. Since Ryu has had this trinket for about thirteen or fourteen years, he just knows when the jewel gives a reaction.
- These spirits are going to make themselves known later in the game. So you just have to wait.
- For some other storytelling effects, the jewel might have other actions or uses, which shall appear further in the story.
Finally, a basic chart with the meaning of the colors (taken from dragon-tear (dot) net):
Black: Murderous intent; Hates the bearer deeply. Enemy bosses, etc.
Dark red: Enmity; In most cases, a battle will result.
Red: Mistrust, suspicion; Doesn't trust the bearer, is suspicious of him.
Orange: Neutrality; Has no opinion about the hero. The standard of reference.
Yellow: Kindness, understanding; Good-natured people. Typical villagers.
Yellow-green: Sympathy; Actively supports the hero's views and actions.
Emerald green: Friendliness, cooperativeness; Would save the hero.
Blue: Loyalty; Would even sacrifice themselves to save the hero.
Rainbow: Destiny/Love; Allies bound to the hero by a transcendent power.
Chapter 02: Follow the Pink Piglet.
-----
Evening. Plains. Outside Newhaven.
Dusk covered the land as Ryu and Bosch walked across the plains surrounding Newhaven. With lanterns in hand, they scoured the ground in a search for pig tracks, but so far their efforts had been in vain. Even the wild boars, which were normally so abundant, seemed to have been absent recently.
"Hey, pal, you sure about looking for Suzie out of town?" Bosch asked.
Ryu shrugged. "Mina did say that her pet ran outside of the town gates."
"Hmm. Someone else said that his cat disappeared two nights ago and he hasn't seen it since. He just found this feather in the window where the cat used to sleep. You think it's got anything to do with it?"
"Not really. It's intriguing, though."
"In town, people were saying that there was some sort of monster living at Mt. Futabi," Bosch continued. "Some were thinking that it eats pets, maybe."
Ryu looked over at Bosch in exasperated amusement. Since when did you start living off gossip, Bosch? he thought. You'll be worse than Sylvia soon!
But he didn't mention it to his friend. All he said was, "Yes, we should hurry. I have a feeling that this is the right direction."
He couldn't tell Bosch about his encounter with the Dragon God. They were friends and partners, but Bosch would probably just laugh it off as too much firewater the night before and tell him to stop praying to a lifeless statue. At least Bosch wouldn't advise him to go to St. Eva, like some of the other rangers would have. Neither of them liked going to church much.
"Whatever you say buddy," said Bosch, rolling his eyes. The wind blew towards them gently, and Bosch winced as he caught a whiff of something eye-wateringly foul. He glanced down, and realized that he had stepped in some creature's droppings. Beside them lay a large brown feather.
"Look at this, Ryu!" he called, after swearing and trying ineffectually to wipe his boots on the long grass. "There's tracks!" Just ahead of the feather, a line of trotter marks depicted a small pig's mad scurry towards the possible safety of the mountain.
"This is our lead, Bosch," said Ryu with a smile. "We'd better run if we want to catch the pig, though. You up to it, roly-poly?"
Without waiting for a reply, he immediately started jogging, his sword bouncing uncomfortably against his back. It would take some time to reach Mt. Futabi - a few hours of swift running, perhaps. But neither of them would be able to keep up that sort of pace and arrive in any sort of fighting condition. Better to pace it a little.
"Hey!" Bosch glared at his pal, who was already beyond the ring of lantern light. "I'm not fat! I'm just big-boned, curse you!" He sighed, unstrapped his crossbow and started following Ryu. "Wait for me, blue-boy!"
--------
Midnight. Mountain trail. Mt. Futabi.
It seemed that their Ranger training had paid off. The full moon was directly above them as they reached the start of the mountain path, and they were only slightly out of breath. Much of the local monster population was nocturnal, so they had fought on a few occasions, but nothing overly difficult.
"I'd call that a good work-out, wouldn't you?" Ryu panted, grinning.
Bosch just glared at him. "Ha ha. You're so funny, Ryu. I'm going to die of laughter. Not."
"Oh, come on. Lighten up, Bosch, it was just a joke."
=Finally, something edible! Something besides cats and dogs!=
"Did you say something, Ryu?" Bosch's face had lost the annoyed look of earlier; now he just looked confused.
"Huh? No. You must be hearing things." But even as the words were leaving his mouth, he realized that something was strange there. Although Bosch had a better sense of smell than he did, both of them had equally sharp hearing. If Bosch had heard something, then he should have heard it as well.
They continued up the path and rounded a corner, to reveal that the road suddenly slid into a sheer drop. Bosch groaned. "Looks like one of the top paths finally decided to collapse," he said. "And took this one with it."
"So we'll have to go through the caves then," Ryu replied, shrugging. "It's not like it's a big deal."
"But there's always those damn leeches," he complained as they stepped into the dark cavern. "We gotta teach them not to mess with us."
Ryu heard something squish-bounce towards them, and in one movement, drew his sword and sliced through the closest leech as it leapt at him. He blinked as the halves fell apart in a spray of liquid, coating his face in goo. Bosch shot one, reloaded his crossbow, and took out another, grinning as he saw Ryu's expression.
"You alright there, buddy?"
Ryu ignored him, instead walking towards the small Blessed Spring nearby. The water poured from the mouth of a metal dragon, illuminated by the soft glow of crystal lamps, and the pair extinguished their lanterns. After emptying his waterskin to wash his face, Ryu topped it up from the spring. Blessed Spring water was well known for its fatigue-relieving properties, so they both took a long drink before progressing further.
"We're finally out!" said Ryu in relief as they reached the end of the cave and stepped out into cool moonlight. Goblins, cat-sized spiders and the animated corpses of would-be mountaineers inhabited the caverns, more so than they had expected, and while there hadn't been anything life-threatening, it had been a nuisance to fight them all. It was good to breathe fresh air again.
"Ha! Take that, you spiders!" Bosch yelled, pointing towards the dark exit. "You tried to get me, but you couldn't!"
"Uh, Bosch, you might want to keep the noise down a little," Ryu suggested, looking up at the surrounding peaks in worry. They were nearly at the wooden bridge that lead to the path back down, but if there was another landslide . . .
"Huh? Why?" Bosch turned and his eyes widened as Ryu's fears came true. The deep rumbling of shifting rock filled the air, triggered by Bosch's shouting, and they jumped back, pressing themselves against the mountainside as boulders came crashing down.
When the noise had died away and the floating motes of dust had settled, they finally dared to look at the damage. Ryu winced. Massive rocks that had somehow, miraculously, all missed them surrounded them. But the bridge was little more than splinters, and the exit they had just come from was buried beneath rubble.
=I'll have the pretty one, you two go for the mutt!=
=No way!=
=First come, first served, sis!=
As they heard the voices, Ryu and Bosch looked up to see three harpies descending on them. Going by their words, the harpies didn't have anything nice in mind. Ryu drew his sword as the horrible, acidic stench of harpy feathers hit them and Bosch clicked a bolt into place.
"There's no way to take cover," Ryu hissed. "You go to the right, put them in a pincer."
Bosch nodded, and they dashed in opposite directions, taking cover behind the nearby boulders. He stopped and concentrated for an instant before opening now-glowing green eyes.
"Protect!" he exclaimed, and a wave of green light washed over Ryu and then disappeared. He repeated the defensive incantation for himself.
"Thanks, pal!"
All three were diving for Ryu, talons outstretched. Bosch quickly aimed for the nearest and fired. The bolt struck home, tearing through the joint that connected wing and body. It crashed with a screech and flapped its remaining wing pathetically.
Ryu rolled to the side as the lead harpy swept past, parrying a claw-strike from the second with his blade. With his other hand, he pulled his dagger from his belt and stabbed it into the harpy's leg. Screaming obscenities, it tried to attack again, but fell back.
"Cover me!" Ryu called to Bosch as he caught sight of the first harpy wheeling around. "I'm going for the grounded two!"
Bosch swung his crossbow towards the harpy, sending it into a frantic back-and-forth as it tried to dodge the inevitable blow. The wingless harpy had managed to stand, and as Ryu ran towards it, it snarled and spat something at him. He hissed in pain as it struck his side, burning a hole through his shirt, but thanks to Bosch's spell, the damage was lessened.
Ryu, clutching his wound, reached the fallen harpy and stabbed it through the heart. He turned to check how Bosch was doing, just in time to see him send a bolt through his opponent's eye. It plummeted and Ryu, knowing how tenacious harpies could be, severed its head before it could return to the sky. Harpies could survive damn near anything, but only cockroaches could live through having their heads chopped off.
The last went for Bosch in a suicidal flight. Bosch had another bolt in his hand, ready to reload, but there was no way he would be able to fire in time. He sidestepped at the last minute, but not far enough, and one of its wings slammed into his stomach.
It spun out of control and hit the edge, hurtling down the side of the mountain until at last Ryu heard the very definite crunch of shattered bones. No more harpies.
Bosch had collapsed, winded and dazed by the blow. Ryu took a small bottle from his pack and waved it under his partner's nose. The leaves of the sanar plant had an incredibly potent odor that, like a firewater elixir, could bring a person back to awareness. It was particularly effective for Grass Runners, and within a few minutes, Bosch was blinking and sitting up again.
"Di - did you get it, Ryu?" he mumbled dazedly. "Damn, but that thing hits harder than a Bilbull."
"Yeah, I saw. Don't worry, though. The harpy's now no more than a stain on the bottom of the ravine." Ryu passed him one of the leaves and Bosch started chewing on it, feeling energy flow back into his limbs.
"Huh? How?"
Ryu grinned. "Well, after its impact with a certain . . . big-boned someone, it lost control and went down."
Bosch gave him a grin in return and stood up a little shakily. "Guess my round waist was put to good use, then. Let's look for a way back down."
Ryu's lantern had been smashed in the attack, so they searched as best they could with the remaining moonlight. However, short of abseiling down the side, something neither of them wanted, it appeared that the only way they could go was up.
Ryu sighed. It was already well past midnight, and it seemed that they wouldn't be stopping any time soon. What was already a long night was only going to get longer.
The entrance to another cavern lay at the top of the path, but an enormous rock stopped them from entering. Bosch pushed it, making it wobble slightly, and Ryu nodded in understanding.
"One . . . two . . . three!" they chorused, shoving the boulder with all of their strength. It toppled over, following the deceased harpy by bouncing over the edge and leaving the entrance clear.
Suddenly, they heard a now-familiar rumbling, and sure enough, the rock they had pushed had collided with another boulder. Both had tumbled down, taking dirt and rubble with them in another landslide. Ryu peered over the side, but couldn't see anything past the clouds of dust.
"Oops," said Bosch, rubbing his head in embarrassment. "Hope no-one was down there, or they'd have ended up like a squashed owlfruit, hey?"
"Who knows? Let's go."
Ryu led the way, Bosch's lantern in hand. Unlike the other, this cavern wasn't lit by magic, although it still had the same pesky denizens. They weren't too difficult, though.
"In Lor," Bosch chanted, concentrating intently, and after a few seconds, a small wisp of light appeared in his palm. Despite its size, it gave off a warm glow that was more than capable of lighting their way.
"You'll have to teach me that one sometime," said Ryu with a smile.
"On the way back. I can't use it too often, you know. If I could, we wouldn't need lanterns!"
Ryu laughed. "Fair enough. Okay, you're on."They continued through the cave, hoping that they would soon reach an exit. But their hopes were dashed when the cavern ended abruptly at a large circular chamber, with no visible means of continuing.
"Damn it!" Bosch muttered, stomping around in a rare temper tantrum. "I'm so bloody sick of this mountain!"
Then it started, once again, to rumble.
"What in the –" Ryu couldn't complete whatever it was he had been going to say, because the floor caved in, sending them tumbling to the cavern below.
"I swear, one of the two of us is cursed," he grumbled as he cast a quick, 'Heal,' on himself and Bosch. Their bruises immediately faded back to clear skin, or fur in Bosch's case. "That many landslides in one night can't be a co-incidence."
"Who are you kids?" asked an unfamiliar voice, and they spun around to see a man staring at them. His eyes were wide with shock, and he gripped a spear tightly.
"Don't worry, don't worry," said Bosch hastily, waving his hands around. "We're rangers, from Newhaven! We were in the cave up there, but the floor collapsed."
The man relaxed a little, lowering the spear. "You startled me pretty badly there," he admitted. I'm Azusa, a former monster hunter. Do you two have names, or should I just call you Newhaven rangers?"
"Sorry about that, mister," said Ryu apologetically. "I'm Ryu, and this is my partner Bosch. We're on a mission to find a lady's pet. You haven't seen any, have you?"
"Nope, can't say that I have. This is normally a good spot for hunting mountain goats and the like, but I haven't seen anything recently. Something's scared off the game, maybe. Anyway, there's some old ruins a few hours east of here. You might want to check over there."
"Okay, we'll go have a look," Bosch replied. "Thanks, Azusa!"
"About what would have been scaring the goats, I think we got rid of those things. I hope the game comes back soon." Ryu added as they exited the cavern.
As hoped, once they had left the last of the foothills behind and set foot on soft soil again, they found the tracks of Mina's piglet.
"Seems your hunch was right, buddy," said Bosch, grinning at his friend.
"Yeah . . ." Ryu seemed dazed for a moment, but then shook his head and smiled back. Thank the Dragon God, he thought. I'll pray and thank him when I get back.
"Is that steam over there?" he asked.
Bosch started running, nearly obliterating the tracks in his haste. "The first to find Suzie gets kissed by Mina!" he called.
Ryu tried to catch up, but Bosch was faster than he looked and he already had a long head-start. Bosch will never change, he thought ruefully. He slowed down a little, enough that it still seemed like a contest but that ensured Bosch would win. Mina wasn't really his type anyway; except for the Wyndian wings, she resembled a younger, albeit sassier version of his mother too much for his peace of mind.
----
Early morning. Ruins. ???.
As the rangers arrived at the ruins of what had once been a fine building, they heard panicked screams coming from inside. They readied their weapons and ran in, stopping just inside the doorway. A scrawny old man, unarmed and dressed in rags, was standing with his back against a door, with six brown cockroaches surrounding him. Although they were no longer than a short-sword, they threatened to trample the old man to get at whatever he was protecting.
It was the work of a few minutes to dispatch the roaches, but fear still crossed the old man's face.
"Don't . . . don't come near me . . ." he quavered, pointing at them. Or . . . was it behind them?
Ryu spun around to see another roach, this one nearly as large as they were. Judging by the way it touched the remains of the smaller cockroaches with its antennae and chittered at them, it was the mother of the others.
He quickly scooped up a piece of roach, ignoring the fluid that dripped over his hand, and tossed it at the mother roach to provoke it. It twisted, and Bosch took the opportunity to send a bolt flying directly into the now-exposed gap in its chitinous carapace.
It shrieked, charging at Ryu, but he dodged at the last minute. It crashed into the wall, cracking the stone with the impact, but stunning itself momentarily. Ryu stabbed it through the same gap, causing yellowish ooze to drip down the insect's side.
"Lure it to the wall behind you, Ryu!" shouted Bosch, and he spotted a heavy cauldron filled with boiling water. It was a good idea, but there was only just enough space. He'd have to risk it.
He moved across, taunting the roach with a few feinting swings as he shifted into position. It drew itself up, and he braced himself as it spat a lump of something sticky at him. It hit his arm and he cringed, but he managed to overcome the sudden pain and thrust his sword through its jaws as it tried to bite him.
Bosch saw his chance and kicked the cauldron over, dumping the water over the insect. It hissed as the scalding liquid hit the softer flesh between the joints, writhing in pain. Ryu hacked off its head and although his sword wasn't doing the job very well, managed to cut the rest of it into several pieces.
Ryu and Bosch gathered the variously dismembered pieces of cockroach, took them outside and, using the last remaining trickle of oil from Bosch's lantern, set them alight. The reek of burning flesh and chitin filled the house and its surrounds, but at least its owner was now safe.
"That was one hell of a roach, wasn't it?" said Bosch cheerfully.
"Sure was. I've lost my appetite now, that's for sure." Ryu cast a, 'heal,' on his arm and tried ineffectually to clean the sticky substance off his skin. "Perhaps a Creeper would have found it appetizing, but not me."
"Well now, don't that just beat all?" asked the old man shakily. "I've never had to fight for my food before, ye know. Thanks very much for saving me. My name's Niro."
"I'm Bosch, and the bluey over there is my pal, Ryu. We're Newhaven rangers."
"Good to meet you, Bosch. Just lemme set the cauldron back up an' burnin', and I'll share me breakfast with you. A bit early, I guess, but when you get food, that's when you eat."
Niro carried the cauldron outside and filled it from a creaky water-pump. Ryu relit the fire as Bosch helped the old man bring the pot back in, and they watched as Niro dropped a few woody stalks into the water. The tantalizing scent of wild oregano drifted towards them, helping to mask the still-lingering chitin smoke.
"An' what would ye be doin' 'round here anyway?" asked Niro as they waited for the water to heat up.
"We were tracking a pet," Ryu answered. "The trail led us here."
"What?" Niro sounded outraged. "Would ye be insinuatin' that I ate a cat or a dog? I wouldn't do somethin' like that! An' I haven't eaten anything these past three days."
"Sorry, ol' man," said Bosch, his ears drooping. "We didn't mean to say you'd eaten the one we're looking for." Their best – no, their only trail – had just turned into a dead end.
"Don't worry about it, kid. Cheer up, have a snack with me. It's a bit small, but it looks pretty tasty, I think."
"What is it?" asked Ryu eagerly. "I'm famished!"
"You're always hungry, Ryu! You eat like a Woren!"
They both laughed. Ryu was notorious in Newhaven for his massive appetite. But, surprisingly enough, his favourite food was apples. There had been quite a few occasions where Sylvia had managed to bribe Ryu into doing something for her by offering to bake some of her famous apple pies.
Niro opened the door he had been guarding and, almost jealously, came back with a pig clutched in his arms. It oinked at them softly. It seemed dirty, as though it had been running or rolling in mud somewhere.
"Ah, li'l piggy," Niro said, smiling. "You'll be the finest piece o' pork I've seen in many a year, aye. Tell you what, kids, I'll give you a leg, and I'll fry up some bacon later on, how's that? Now then, li'l piggy, let's take this bothersome collar off and boil you. It won't take long."
His smile turned a shade dark as he unbuckled the collar and threw it away casually. He dropped the pig into the boiling water and it squealed in pain.
The rangers looked at each other in dawning horrified realization.
"Hey, let me see that!" he exclaimed, picking up the collar from the ground. As they had expected, it bore a dual-winged plaque that had the word, 'Suzie,' carved into it.
Ignoring the pain of the scalding water, Ryu plunged his hands into the cauldron and grasped the furiously wriggling pig – Suzie – firmly. Her skin felt crispy, but she was still most definitely alive. Now all they had to do was return her.
Bosch cast, 'Heal,' on Suzie as Ryu used the same spell on his hands, and after taking out his gear, carefully lowered her into his pack. After an argument and a lot of grumbling, he also gave her one of Ryu's precious apples and she settled down to sleep.
"Can't I just have a leg o' the li'l piggy?" Niro asked.
"No way, ol' man!" Bosch glared at him. "This piglet's worth more than all of this land is!"
"But I'm starving!"
Ryu sighed, and took out one of the tuna from his fishing bag that he kept for himself and Bosch to eat. The fish was still fresh, thanks to the complicated enchantment placed on the bag by its Manillo creator, who used them to store the seafood they loved while travelling on land. It had been a gift from one of his mentors.
"Here, Niro," he said, holding out the fish. "It isn't much, I know, but it's better than nothing."
"Well, it ain't no piggy, that's for sure . . . but thank ye all the same, kids." He grinned, taking the fish from Ryu and immediately shifted the cauldron off the coals.
"No, thanks go to you, Niro. Without your co-operation, we'd have . . . Well, let's just say that our fate wouldn't have been pretty." He waved good-bye as the two of them left the building. The aroma of cooking fish followed them out.
Outside, the first rays of dawn were starting to peek over the horizon. Ryu closed his eyes and smiled, lifting his face and basking in the warm glow. After a few minutes, he opened them again contentedly.
"Come on, Ryu," said Bosch teasingly. "We haven't got all day to admire the sunlight, you know."
"Wait a minute, let me check something," he replied, now intent. Something had caught his eye, shining in a stray beam of light from beneath a blanket of ancient vines. Using his knife to cut them away, he soon revealed the sparkling to be the crystal eyes of a statue, all which remained of a shrine to the Dragon God. He wiped the grime from its snout with the edge of his shirt, and knelt before it.
Thank you for your help, Lord Ladon.
~You are welcome, Ryu,~ the god murmured.
"Hey, pal!" said Bosch, breaking the gentle silence. "Didn't think you'd be the religious type."
"I'm not," Ryu answered, standing up. "It just brings back memories, that's all."
~Why do you deny being a believer, Ryu? This is your heritage. Do not be ashamed of it.~ But he pushed the voice to the back of his mind.
Although seeing the statue occasionally brought back good memories, more often than not they held sorrow and thoughts of his deceased mother. She had been a Priestess of the Dragon God, but had died in a demon attack. Deep inside his heart, he knew that he blamed Ladon for not saving her, but he had never brought it up with the god. If Lord Ladon wanted to explain his actions, then he would. No amount of pleading by Ryu would change his mind.
"Hey." Bosch placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "Don't worry about it. Remember, you gotta look on to the future! Let's go back and deliver this little apple-eating piglet. If you ask me, she looks more like a small boar, don't you think?"
Ryu smiled, and they started moving back towards Mt. Futabi. Thanks to the multitude of landslides the mountain had experienced so recently, the path had been obliterated and a new one created, that was much shorter than the first. The Blessed Spring had been buried, but it was a small price to pay in favor of not having to walk through the caves.
On the way, though, Ryu saw something glinting in the dirt and picked it up curiously. It was a scale with a fish carved into it. It flashed silver where it caught the light, and he turned it over to see words engraved on the back. Squinting, he managed to make out the name, 'Marlok Gobinskiv,' and he gasped as he realized what it was he held.
It was a Manillo trading badge. And not just any trading badge, but a mithril-class one. Only the most successful of traders could hire an Iron Ogre to work one of their fish-form scales into the mithril badge.
The Manillo will pay five thousand zenny if you find a high-level badge and return it to the bank! Ryu thought exultantly. I wonder what a mithril-class was doing up here anyway? Oh well.
He tucked it into a pouch and ran to catch up with Bosch, who hadn't noticed his partner's momentary disappearance. This was mostly likely due to the dreamy expression on his face, a sure sign that he was daydreaming again.
Probably thinking about the kiss that he wants from Mina. Some things really do never change.
---
Morning. Newhaven Gates. Newhaven.
Finally, after nearly a couple of hours of walking, the pair managed to return to Newhaven. It was still early for many people, so the gates hadn't yet opened. Bosch knocked on the smaller door to the guard station.
"Herbert, are you there? It's freezing out here, let us in!"
"Who goes there?" came the cranky-sounding voice of someone in a continuously bad mood.
"Bosch Doggy and Ryu Bateson, full-fledged ranger since Friday night. Come on, Herb, you know who we are!"
The door opened, letting out a bleary-eyed man in full armour. He scratched at his beard. "You two are back," he grumbled. "How'd it go, then?"
"It was a success!" said Ryu, giving him a thumbs-up.
"Well, fine then. You'd better go see Chief Allen." He followed them as they went through, banging a mug down onto the guardroom table and pulling a bottle of brandy from the cupboard. The last they heard him say as they continued through into the town was a muttered, "I'm too old for this . . ."
As they entered the guild headquarters, they saw Sylvia, asleep with her head on her desk. Someone had placed a cloak over her shoulders. Yet again, she must have fallen asleep while doing her paperwork. Bosch placed a gentle kiss on her lips and shook her softly.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty," he whispered in her ear as she stirred.
Sylvia lifted her head, blinking at Bosch sleepily, and yawned. But her expression became more focused as she woke up properly and saw who it was standing near her.
"Well, you're no handsome prince, Bosch," she said matter-of-factly as she gathered up her disarrayed papers and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, although a faint blush crossed her cheeks. "How did it go?"
Bosch pretended to clutch at his heart, and Ryu shook his head in exasperation. "The pet's in here," he told Sylvia, taking Bosch's pack and poking it. The pig inside had started wriggling again earlier, and they had found out the hard way that Suzie was not a light piglet.
'Alright. You two report to the Chief. I'll go see if Lady Mina's awake yet."
They entered the office to find Chief Allen consulting a book and scribbling on a piece of paper. He was both well known and resented by the rangers for being a morning person.
"So. Did it go well?" he asked, looking up at them.
Bosch took his pack back from Ryu and opened it, retrieving a drowsy Suzie. Several more apples had been sacrificed to keep her happy, a fact that Ryu had very much complained about. He put her on the table.
Ryu heard the sound of running feet behind him and stepped to the side. As expected, Mina came barreling through the door, picking up the hapless pig in a hug.
"My Suzie, I'm so glad you're safe!" she exclaimed. "But she's so clean! Did you bathe her?" She giggled a little, giving Ryu and Bosch a happy, innocent smile. But something in her eyes warned them that if their answer didn't please her, then she would bring down a storm upon their heads.
Bosch smiled back uneasily, rubbing his head. "Ah, it was nothing, Lady Mina. She was dirty, so we gave her a quick wash."
"Hmm . . . she smells like oregano . . . that's a little bit odd, don't you think? But it must be only my imagination, silly me." She covered her mouth and giggled again, eyes sparkling.
Bosch looked stunned. His jaw hung slackly as he stared at the girl before him.
"There's no need to worry yourself about that, Lady Mina," Ryu spoke up, trying to save his friend from further embarrassment. "The important thing is that your beloved pet is here with you."
"Yes, you are right. Thank you."
Ryu felt the Dragon's Tear warm against his skin, and sensed that it had turned yellow. The atmosphere had changed as well, shifting from a menacing sense of hostility to a kinder, more relaxed mood. Bosch was the only person he'd met in the last ten years for whom the gem shone emerald green – a sign of a strong friendship – but yellow was a good sign as well.
"Well, gentlemen, I must be returning to Wyndia," Mina said, flashing them another smile. "I thank you for your efforts in finding my Suzie."
Ryu smiled back. "Don't mention it," he said simply.
She bowed to the three men and, with Suzie cradled in her arms, followed Sylvia out of the room. Ryu closed the door behind her.
With Mina's presence gone, Bosch managed to recover from his reverie. "Why?" he protested. "I was expecting a kiss, at the very least!"
Ryu rolled his eyes behind his friend's back. It wouldn't take much to cheer him up – it was far from the first time this had happened. Girls came and went like the wind for Bosch, and he always had his slap-kiss-slap flirtations with Sylvia.
"Well, don't feel too bad, Bosch. Here's your reward, five hundred zenny as promised," said the Chief.
"I'm going for some shut-eye," he replied after taking his half, not completely mollified. "You made me run around a lot, Ryu."
"From memory, you chose to run most of the way," Ryu retorted. "I'll cover the debriefing for you, but you'll pay me back later on, you hear?"
Bosch mock-saluted, grinned, and left the office.
"It seems that the both of you are skilled enough for more important missions," said Chief Allen, after Ryu had finished telling their story. The part about 'bathing Suzie' had been particularly humorous. "I'll keep it in mind for the future, Ryu."
"Thank you, Chief, but I think we still have a lot to learn," Ryu replied honestly. "I believe Bosch would prefer a more challenging mission, though."
"And yourself, Ryu?"
Ryu hesitated, and then said, "I would prefer something a little difficult as well, sir."
The Chief chuckled. "Very well. Go now and get some rest. You look exhausted. I'll tell you your next mission tomorrow."
---
"I am the world-famous trader, Marlok Gobinskiv," the Manillo said to the receptionist as he entered the Ranger's Guild. She wrote something in her book as he shifted uncomfortably, adjusting his captain's coat. The fish skeleton in his cap, a sign of high rank for their Clan, was falling off, and he made a mental note to replace it with that little bass at home once he'd cleaned it up.
Marlok puffed at his pipe, sending clouds of tobacco smoke roiling around the ceiling. Tobacco was the one reason he suffered coming up onto the land like this. Obviously, one couldn't light a pipe underwater.
"And what is it that you trade in again, Mr. Gobinskiv?" asked the receptionist politely.
"An assortment of fine pieces straight from their homelands. I deal with relics and antiques, special pieces. I have lost my license, though, and so cannot continue with my work."
"So you would like to hire someone from the Guild to find your trading license?"
"Indeed. How much is the price?"
"The pricing of a job is always discussed directly with the Chief," said the receptionist, at her most professional. "He is free right now, so I will let him know that you wish to meet him, but for such an important job, you should expect no less than ten thousand zenny."
Marlok heard footsteps, and he turned to see a blue-haired young man come out of a nearby room. There was a slightly avaricious gleam in his eyes.
"Excuse me, Master Marlok," he interrupted, placing a hand on the receptionist's shoulder as she was about to rise, "but, May I ask you something?"
"What is it, boy?"
"Would you give your word to make a fair deal with our guild on this matter?"
Marlok frowned, deep in thought. He took off his cap and scratched his head, revealing his mithril-scaled pate. What did the humans count as 'fair', again? He couldn't quite remember the exact words in the Prima Constitution, but knew that there was a lot more they considered 'not fair' that he couldn't see as such.
At last, he sighed and lifted a hand. "On my word as a Manillo ambassador of commerce from the underwater city of Prima, I swear by Ladon the Dragon God and Lord Mammon that I shall deal fairly with your Ranger's Guild. There, happy now, boy?"
The boy nodded. "The reason I asked was because I know where your badge is."
Marlok cursed under his breath. This was bad. Did the boy really have his badge, and if so, did he realize just how important it was? But he couldn't let any sign of it show. Maybe he could make this work out yet.
"So where is it then, boy? Show it to me."
The boy took something from his pouch and Marlok examined it. Yes, this was his badge, all right. He reached for it, but the boy snatched it back out of range.
"Ryu! What are you doing?" hissed the receptionist. "All missions are supposed to go through the Chief first!"
"What is your starting offer?" Marlok quickly interrupted. The receptionist drew back, her face troubled, but she didn't say anything further. Good. It looked as though she knew about the Manillo tradition of no third party interference once negotiations had started.
"Well, I'd like to see your wares first," said Ryu. "Plus a total sum of twenty-five thousand zenny to pay for the various pieces at base cost, with any spare money to go to the guild." He paused for a minute before adding, "And you would owe me a favour to be paid at a later date of my choosing."
"Preposterous!" Marlok spluttered. "I'd be broke! Fifteen thousand, without the favour."
This was a hard deal. Was the boy bluffing, or wasn't he? Surely he had to know about cashing in the badge? Why risk losing such a good deal? Unless he knew something about Prima's customs . . . Ah, but this was the heart and soul of haggling, trying to guess how much information the other had and how good a deal one could make.
"Twenty thousand, including the fact it's your base price and not the end-customer price, and the favour."
"Twenty thousand, including that, but forget the favour."
Ryu grinned at him impishly. "I'm sorry, Master Marlok," he said, "but that's my lowest offer. I'll take your badge back to the bank and you may deal with your people's politics to get it back." He pocketed the badge and walked towards the door, whistling cheerfully.
Marlok flinched and broke into a cold sweat. The boy had to know, there was no way he could be bluffing with that look in his eyes. If he cashed in the badge, then Marlok would have to hand over half of his goods to the Merchant's Guild in Prima. Some of those were worth over a million zenny! But to give in meant admitting that he had lost in a battle of wits. Was his pride worth the price?
More important was the fact that Lord Mammon was very strict about zenny transactions without a license. Every child in Prima knew the tale of Gobi, a Manillo so greedy that he had been exiled and lost his Sphere. In the end, he had proven himself worthy of reclaiming his license, but it had not been an easy task.
Marlok sighed. His pride wasn't worth it. "Come back, kid," he called, and Ryu looked back over his shoulder. "I give in. Twenty thousand, base cost, and I'll owe you a favour."
Ryu smiled widely as he walked back over to Marlok. "I'm sure you won't regret it in the long run, Master Marlok."
"Don't get cocky," he grumbled, pulling a small notebook from his pocket and handing it over.
Ryu's eyes widened as he checked the list. Mithril mail and knives, a Melodian quick-fire crossbow with ammunition, plated shields and helmets – this was top-quality equipment. Marlok felt as though part of his merchant soul was dying as a customer saw the original pricing. He had given his word to be fair, even swearing by the Dragon God as well as Lord Mammon, but . . . the loss of that 40% mark-up was painful.
"I'll take these," said Ryu after a few minutes of calculation, pointing out the items he wanted. "That'll leave eight thousand zenny left over for the Guild."
"Fine," he agreed grumpily. "But I've only got one of the knives with me at the moment. I'll arrange to have the other items delivered to you. It'll probably take about a month."
Marlok tore out one of the pages from his notebook and, borrowing Sylvia's quill, wrote a cheque for eight thousand in the Ranger Guild's name. He then unclipped a heavy golden ring from his ear-fin and stamped in down onto another piece of paper, leaving a glowing magical print of the same fish carved into his badge.
"There. Lord Mammon be my witness that I, Marlok Gobinskiv, solemnly give my word as a Manillo trader that I owe you, Ryu Bateson of the Newhaven Ranger's Guild, a favour, to be asked by you and only you in person, to be paid when you might need it."
He sighed again as Ryu handed over his badge. What did I do to deserve this?he thought tiredly.
"You're a good businessman, boy," he said.
"I'm flattered, Master Marlok. Thanks." Ryu stored the knife in his his old dagger onto the left side of his belt, clipping the sheath of his new blade into place on the right. He smiled, patting it a little.
Marlok smiled cynically. "Don't be. We'll be seeing each other in the future, and I hope to get a better bargain on my behalf out of you next time."
He tucked it back into his belt pouch and walked out, closing the door behind him.
---
Mithril mail, at full price, was worth nearly ten thousand zenny.
A Manillo trading badge was worth twenty thousand zenny.
But the bragging rights of having outwitted a Manillo?
Priceless.
---- o ----
Those three slitted eyes watched him again. He heard a voice – his voice – whispering, "Sleep well, Destined Child. Your adventure begins now; I expect you to amuse me for the time being. I must commend you though, for outwitting that fishy peddler. Only one of my kin is worthy of such a feat."
And the demon laughed, letting the boy fall into a dreamless sleep.
---- o ----
End Chapter 02.
Author's Notes:
- I'm assuming that Ryu's knapsack is some kind of 'black hole' that can put items easily and he will not have to lose too much time looking something from it. Kind of a "Pokemon backpack" where you can fit a bicycle :)
- Ryu's a dragon, and tends to eat like one... with Katt-Lin will make for nice situations. Well.. also Ryu's got a craving for apples, apple-pie, and the such...
- The 'In Lor' chant comes from Ultima. It is the chant for a small light. "Create Light" or "Cause light" according to the runes that there are out there on the net.
- Review and give a piece of your mind, please.
Special Thanks:
- Ryusui, for his Retranslation.
- Lady 'Kestre Wynde' from ; your proof-reading has helped me to understand about English language and improving the quality of my writing. Thank you very much.
- Miss EstrellitaFarr, for pointing some unbelievable details that are going to get revised in the future.