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. Other characters belong to other companies, unless specifically said that they're mine.
Chapter 10: Tales of Life.
---
The sun had just appeared from the east, its pale light enough for making an early riser like Ryu stand, ready for another day. Katt, Nina and Shadow had also awakened and were ready to do stuff. Katt decided that she would go hunting, while Shadow would make something for breakfast. Nina and Ryu agreed to give a morning prayer to the Dragon God statue nearby.
The wyndian lady and the ranger went towards the statue, having some small talk; Katt would still follow them for a moment.
"So, you two pray to that statue?" Katt asked, ears twitching in curiosity.
"Yeah, more of an habit in my case, it brings me back some memories...." Ryu said, with a brief glint of sadness. He put a somewhat-fake smile. "But it helps me to be at ease as well."
"In my case, it also helps to be at ease. Since I have lived a long time in NewHaven, well..." Nina paused and looked away.
"Sorry, not intending to make fun of you." Katt smiled. "In my tribe, they believe in Tigress Belthina, the Goddess of Victory. We don't need statues, just with our actions towards others, like some sort of karma. Well, giving a prayer once in a while is good enough."
"Don't worry Katt," Nina smiled. "No offense taken."
"Yeah, relax. Anyways, dropping him a word once in a while helps." Ryu smiled.
"Well, I could give a try, and also give a prayer to the Tigress; haven't done that in a while."
The three sat in kneeling positions before the statue, and closed their eyes.
------
"Great Ladon, Guardian God of the world of Asparia, I thank you for the help I had to save my sister Mina from the clutches of that demon in human hides."
~You are welcome, Princess Nina.~
"By the..." Nina started to exclaim as she nearly fell backwards in a rather unladylike way.
~Yes, princess. I am speaking directly into your heart. And I would ask you to address me as M'Lord or something like that, short and simple. Not that I mind ceremony and all of that stuff... but simple is better. And don't mention my fangs, or whiskers, or tail.~ The statue put a mock-frown when saying this last part.
Nina giggled. "My! You are funny.... Wait! Everyone must be hearing me speak and think that I went insane."
~Look around yourself, young lady. ~
Nina did so and saw Ryu and Katt both immersed into a trance-like state, and the statue of Ladon winking at her.
"How?"
~I prefer to speak only in the dreams of people. Be it as clear as this conversation, or vision-like dreams. That way you are able see the expressions in my earthly vessels.~
"So you ensure that way that what you say or what they say is private, until they decide to share."
~Indeed.~
"I had a dream, years ago with you in it... and you spoke in a different way."
~Thou art right. Thine observations are accurate. Am I right?~
Nina giggled. "Not that I mind the change."
~I don't mind as well. That is the way we all gods have to speak when we are on official business. But this is another kind of instance. Anyway, as I said, I appreciate your thanks.~
"Thank you, my lord. I'd also like to ask to keep my sister and me safe in our travel to Wyndia. I will take her there."
~You are brave indeed, Nina. For surely you know what are you going to face there.~
Nina had sadness in her eyes. "I know... but my sister has to arrive safely there. I am willing to do everything just to make sure she is safe."
~I understand you. The future cannot be told, but in your case I can give you a piece of advice. Rely on your new found companions. You don't have to be always alone by your own decisions. Keep yourself closed up, and the only thing you shall get is filling your heart with bitterness. That, definitely is not sane.~
"I will keep it in mind. Don't know why, but I already can feel that they are trustworthy." She blushed slightly when she said this, looked at the statue and saw it grinning widely.
~Don't worry, for I won't make fun of you. I'm not your sister, period.~ And the statue grinned again.
Nina laughed softly, relieved. "Well, she will enjoy teasing me to no end." Then, she sighed.
~Just be patient with her. I know about her causes; she has only known one part of the world. You must be there for her in your journey of taking her safely to her home.~
"I will. Thank you again, my lord."
~You are welcome. And remember, your home is where your heart is.~
-------
"Bah, Ryu and his beliefs," Katt snorted. "As if gods did exist; not that they have favored me when I was young,"
~Indeed, little Katt-Lin; sometimes life is not fair; but for creating a future for yourself, now you have the power to decide what you wish to do. And we do exist though.~ she heard a voice, dripping with amusement all around her.
Katt looked around and saw Nina and Ryu deep in prayer.
~Look in front of your eyes. And please, don't be that baffled. Ryu would pay his whole savings for seeing your face in that case.~
She saw in front of her the statue of the dragon god, smiling and waving a claw at her. Priceless face, if anyone could see it.
"What the... I'm going to stop drinking from now on."
The statue started laughing while rolling on the floor. ~That, dear child, is something that is harder than you becoming a vegetarian.~
"Gee... you got me. Hmph! What do you want, ol'lizard?"
~Simple, just saying hi; and Lady Belthina sends her regards, and asked me to tell you to not forget the customs of your tribe... regarding the matter of being defeated in battle by a member of the opposite sex.~
Katt sighed. "I know... It's just that I have never been bested in battle. I guess there is always a time for everything."
~Indeed Katt-Lin, should you ever need advice I will be there to listen. But in your heart you will find some of the answers to your doubts, at least the most pressing ones that may arise in the future.~
"Thank you, m'lord. Please give my best regards to the Tigress."
~I will. She smiles upon you, and wishes you good hunting... even concerning two-legged blue haired prey.~
Katt rolled her eyes, as the statue of Ladon smirked impishly.
---------
"My Lord, I thank you for your advice."
~You are welcome, young Ryu.~
"Now I'm out of clues and trails to follow."
~Perhaps if you listen to the story of the man called Clive, more things will make sense. Besides, I think that you may get clues out of it.~
"As always, stating the obvious." Ryu smirked.
~Well, what fun would it be if you were handed everything ready? There would be no Bosch to get you right into the middle of trouble, yes?~
Ryu laughed heartily. "Thank you yet again, you're quite a handful."
~My fellow divine brethren say the same about me, albeit some are not as kind with the words.~ The statue had a mischievous glint in its eyes, and a smirk plastered on its face. ~Go forth Ryu.~
---------
Meanwhile, in the cabin Shadow had finished preparing breakfast, and went to see the remaining guests. Davan Skye was just awakening, groaning slightly as he sat on the bed. Mina, was still stirring as the sunlight shone directly on her face. Shadow couldn't help but chuckle softly while thinking 'Rise and shine, little princess.'
Davan realized that he was just in his black garb that had several burns, slashes and looked ragged. Below it, were bandages that had now dried blood; strangely for him, he was able to move with ease, but his whole body felt sore.
"Lord Davan, you shouldn't overexert yourself; Ammonia definitely helped you to break away from the Grim Reaper's clutches for this time, but were I in your condition I would take it easy for the remainder of the day."
"Who are you?" he asked, looking for his sword.
"Don't worry; your equipment is safe in the main room where we shall have breakfast as soon as Lady Nina, Master Bateson and Miss Chuang come back. Anyway, after having that medicine is normal to feel soreness in your body. As for who I really am, that is a story that I'm willing to share with all my guests."
Skye still didn't relax. He could see truth in the man's eyes, but since it was the only visible part through the scarf, as the weird blue hue of his skin; he couldn't figure all the possibilities of body language.
"I insist, I'm going to tell later, but if you feel the need for a name, call me Clive. I know that you are the head honcho of the Wyndian Elite Corps, the brother of the queen and all of that public stuff. As you can see over there, Princess Mina is safe and you are alive even after the grievous torture my former associates put you through."
"What is that about former? Weren't you the second in command in the Joker's Gang?"
"Indeed, I used to be. Miss Chuang, Lady Nina, the princess and the ranger vanquished the band. For my part, I am free, finally; after I share my story you shall figure everything out. Now, you should try to stand, but I insist, avoid taxing your body. I will leave you alone, so you can talk with the princess here; she doesn't seem like a morning person though."
Skye stifled his laughter while rolling his eyes; he saw Mina trying in vain to cover her eyes from the bright sunlight. "Granted, thank you... Clive."
"You are welcome. I'm going to the main room, so we can have a proper breakfast. There are some bathrooms beyond that door," Clive pointed towards one of the corners of the room, where a wooden door with a plaque was half-opened. After that, he left the room.
Skye managed to get out of bed and stand straight; he went to wash himself as much as he could. After taking care of that, he went towards the squirming Mina and smiled. 'Time to face the most fearsome blue haired, not-a-morning person in the whole kingdom; Ladon be blessed, for Hina wasn't this way when we were young.'
He took out the sheets from her and said very loudly, as if speaking to his troops, but with a way kinder ring to it. "Rise and shine little princess!"
Mina just groaned. She started muttering something that sounded nasty, but stopped doing it when she opened her eyes, and saw her uncle with a genuine smile on his face; that made her put a surprised face. Either he was relieved of seeing her safe, or she was in deep trouble because she used to direct rather obscene insults to whoever woke her up.
"Uncle Davan!" She jumped out of bed just to hug him. "I'm glad... I thought..." Then, in his arms she started shedding tears of happiness.
"Shhh little bluebird," He embraced her soothingly, while trying to hide his wincing from her. "I'm in one piece, but if you try really hard I might end up splintered, so please take it easy. And yes, I'm quite relieved to see you safe and sound, even if you aren't very diplomatic when getting up early,"
Mina just breathed deeply, rolling her eyes. "Uncle, I'm sorry... it's just..."
"I know, never a morning person. Wonder how you would have fared against old Yoji."
"He's a monster! After I messed up with some magic experiment with Suzie, Nina practically dragged me to the Academy and asked him to teach me in just some hours to focus properly."
Skye stifled his laughter, and feigned a wince. "Let me guess; you ended up almost fainting after that kind of arcane training."
Mina giggled. "Yes. I must commend Nina for putting up with him. Also, having him as a tutor helped her greatly yesterday, when we battled the Joker who turned out to be a demon,"
Skye was surprised. "So, that was why we weren't able to overcome them and our rescue attempt failed." He breathed deeply, and locked his amber eyes on her green ones.
"Would you please tell me everything about yesterday's battle? I still cannot believe that I have lost eight of the best soldiers that Wyndia had to offer, even if their foes were possessed."
Mina then told him everything, since being captured, until she shot the holy beam towards the crystal and then everything had gone to black for her. Skye just nodded but her expertise at reading people told her that he was as surprised at her with the battle; it also meant that he would really be observing Ryu carefully; there was more than met the eye, definitely.
In that instant Katt, Nina and Ryu entered the room again; Nina saw her uncle and practically pounced on him, making him stagger while holding him in a strong embrace.
"Uncle! Thank Ladon that you are alive and well!"
"Air, please..." he said, almost strangled between the embraces of her nieces. They loosened their tight hugs to allow breathing. "I may have cheated death yet again, but you aren't helping me right now." Then he chuckled softly when he saw Katt and Ryu smiling. Nina handed him his ring, but he gave it back to her, and told her to keep it for the moment.
"Master Skye. If they weren't your nieces, I'd say they are your admirers," Ryu smirked, while seeing both Mina and Nina blush.
Skye spared one glance towards Ryu, and smiled maintaining his composture. 'How is it possible for this young man to have suceeded where my veteran soldiers failed. Not that I don't respect Allen's way of survival training… but being able to take down demons is definitely something that takes more than just courage. Besides, he kept safe both of my nieces; well, let's not forget a battling champion, she can defend for herself indeed… but still…'
"No thank you," Skye smiled. "I have way enough of those back in Wyndia; they are like pests, you can never be free of them." He chuckled together with everyone. "Also most of those are just sycophants trying to get a good word from me towards his Majesty." Skye rolled his eyes and then smiled again. "But this definitely is not that case."
"Well, a lovely family," Katt smiled, but inwardly she had a bit of sadness in her eyes, for a brief instant, then she lightened up again. "Let's have breakfast, I'm starving."
"You're worse than me, kitty-Katt." Ryu smirked.
"Shut up blue-boy!" Katt mock-glared at him.
--------
The table was lively in the main room, everyone had finished breakfast; Clive had already eaten earlier than them, but a word from Ryu made them trust him, after all he had not killed them in their sleep; he felt the Dragon Tear confirm the man's intentions and they were friendly.
"Well, now I shall start my tale," Clive said. "First, I'll ask you to be seated, for I'm going to remove my mask. I can guarantee that it won't be a nice sight though."
He pulled out his mask, revealing his facial features and head. He was fully bald, and all his skin was composed of chitin-hardened scales of a bluish hue that it was clearer where his eyes met. His forehead had some chitin-plated looking horned ornament that resembled some sort of helmet, and the horn-like things ran all across his head, protectively. He also had gills and his teeth were serrated, like the ones of a shark. Finally a couple of poisonous looking fangs as long as a pinky finger were in each side of his upper lips.
Everyone present gasped in surprise, the three girls had visible shivers, and the princesses were sweating. He sighed, and covered his mouth with the mask, but left his head uncovered.
"I know that I'm no pretty sight, but resisting demonic influence for years has made me this way. This is also the reason I prefer to eat alone..."
"Wait... You said years?" Ryu asked, surprised.
"Yes, years,"
Nina recovered, and lowered her sight. "I apologize, Clive. It's just that..."
"I know," he interjected. "Do not worry about it; were it not for the poisonous fangs I'd resemble an armored manillo... but way trimmer than them." His eyes were glowing with mirth and this made everyone relax and laugh. "Yes and the pieces of armor below my suit are natural chitin-hardened scales. Also the fangs have the poison of a necrotic blade spider, so I'm not a nice companion to have should I decide to bite." He chuckled darkly, realizing that everyone else had a compassionate look on his face.
Ryu then decided to take another topic; somehow he could understand all what this man had gone through, and did not want to press about his appearance.
"Clive... Tell me please, how do you know me?"
"About nine or eight years ago, I was the not-so-little rascal that you and your pal Bosch used to play with and also I taught him the trade of sneaking and lock-picking; it seems he learned it pretty well."
"You're that Clive?" Ryu asked surprised.
"Yes, the very same; in that moment I was just a normal looking kid, only that I had gills, because of manillo ancestry, fortunately without their greed." This made everyone chuckle.
"How did you end up being in the gang and all of that?"
"I'll need something really strong to talk about it, please wait." Clive stood and went to a cupboard, and took out a flask. "Demonic-drink Firewater, by far the strongest stuff ever made in this part of the world. Ninety-six degrees of alcohol, and has a bit of gunpowder in it." Everyone present gasped as he took a long sip of the bottle; the scent of pure alcohol coming from it, made even Katt wince. "Now I can tell my tale; as everything about me, it's far from nice."
Then, he covered the flask, and started talking more for himself than everyone present, not slurred in the least, his eyes lowered, giving away an expression of deep sadness.
-----
Fifteen years ago, Mt. Rokko was truly a prosperous silver mine, bustling with honest people making their living. The owner of the mining concession, who still is the owner in name of these lands, but he doesn't care because he can't get a nickel for it is... Trout Fishburn.
Yes, the very same cheapskate you hear about in NewHaven, and who wants Bosch Doggy's skin for a welcoming floor-mat at the entrance of his manor.
The mines simply ran out of silver ore, and the man just stopped sending supplies. Some workers left toward other parts and became farmers or whatever they could get their hands on, even resorting to being mercenaries; but others stayed, because this place had become like their home. This house was one of the dorm-rooms for the miners back then; it is the last one standing of the mining camp.
The man did not care about the people, so we had to resort to everything to survive. I was just a six year old kid back then. My parents perished in a mining accident when I was four, so I had been left in the care of my uncle Samuel Long, who was nicknamed 'the jester', because he always had a good joke to cheer up people, even after a sun-to-sun work-session; there also was his wife Martha, I used to spend most of the time with her, until she fell sick and died because we couldn't afford medicine.
My uncle finally lost it after the only woman who cared for him died. Thus, one day he climbed up the hill and I followed him. When we reached the summit we found a strange looking black rock monolith with some rare unknown carvings on it. He pounded it with a sledgehammer turning it into itty-bitty stones. I swear, I saw a non-corporeal dark-looking entity by a moment and it vanished.
My uncle went back silently, while I was still dazed, surprised by the ghost, that my uncle had not seen, apparently; he never told me about it. But then I saw something where the monolith stood. There was a dagger there; it was the one I used to block your magical attack, Lady Nina.
Shortly thereafter, my uncle reunited some of his former coworkers, and they decided to become bandits; at first just stealing, but then with time they resorted to the more extreme measures, risking street wars, working as mercenaries, hired thugs and the stuff, just for money to survive in the start. But things slowly escalated. In these times, he started calling himself 'The Joker'; but his pranks and jokes were rather grim.
In those years I had been learning some of the not so orthodox methods used in the trade, lock-picking, espionage, assassination and everything related. Not that I'm proud of it, mind you. But there was someone for me... my uncle. He was becoming every passing day more insane and wanted always more power to do things, to control everything.
One day I realized that he had been possessed by a demon because I saw his true form, and also tried to ensnare me. I refused with all my being, but with the flow of time, as I kept rejecting and rejecting his attempts to entice me to his will. I also trained hard every day, to strengthen body and mind to resist, because I knew that one day I might have caved in, and I wished to avoid it for as long as possible, and should it happen, commit suicide before it was too late for me.
Fortunately, my demonic-uncle desisted some day of that, and saw me more as an instrument of sorts, so I became the second in command of the gang; all he had was an unquenchable desire for power and recognition. You could say he wanted to establish a kingdom by himself, and what better way than asking for ransom by holding the crown-princess of Wyndia hostage, and having her incredibly-powerful spell-casting sister as a servant in every possible aspect?
Maybe defiling the little princess and forcing the King to recognize him and his spawn as a valid heir to the throne. Fortunately it did not come to pass, thanks to all of you; I also put myself on the line for the princess, so he resorted to torture her psychologically. No princess, you did not eat a piece of your dear Suzie, he just made the thugs give you a piece of wild boar making you think otherwise, after letting you starve for some hours. You want the truth? It's way grimmer...
So, you really wish to know? Fine, but remember that you asked to know.
My uncle ate her alone... raw and still screaming; I remember all of you that he had finally gave himself to the demon in return for fulfilling his desire for power, so doing that kind of cruelty could be considered child's play.
Again, I am free of the yoke that I had been set in, and though I doubt that I can atone for my sins, now I have a purpose. I'm going to make sure that no one ever has to pass through what I did. I'm sure that demonic influence is spreading on Asparia; I'm planning to find the source and combat it, even if it takes my life to do so.
-----
Ryu felt the Dragon Tear conveying the feeling of honesty emanating from Clive; its light was a golden-green hue.
"Clive... I trust you. So you left the map on purpose there in the academy,"
"Thank you Ryu Bateson, I appreciate it. Regarding the map, yes I did. I had a strange dream where I heard some prophetic voice telling me to follow my heart on this."
'So that's the true motives of the double-dealing weasel. It was far more complicated than I could possibly think.' Ryu thought.
Everyone was silent for a while; it had been too much and harsh of a tale to crack a joke; also it had been horrifying for everyone to know the true fate of the little pet, but Mina would in the long run come to terms with it.
Mina started crying softly, as she was caressed and soothed by both Nina and her uncle. This had been too harsh of a tale for her.
"Princess Mina," Clive said. "I am sorry to have startled you in such a way, but this is only a part of a real non-sheltered life. I sincerely hope you have never to live something like me."
Mina recovered after a while, and stared directly in his eyes. He saw still tears in her emerald pools, but there was also an unbreakable resolution in her pupils.
"I haven't lived your harsh life, but somehow I can relate to you. I think I can understand, or at least imagine how it was." The she looked away, to be caressed again by her sister and uncle.
"My demon-possessed uncle was the wrong-doer, and as evil as he had become, I can be at ease knowing that he finally can rest in peace; may whatever god who cares, have mercy on his soul." Clive looked away, sorrow in his eyes.
They were silent for a while, until Davan decided he had to do something.
"Well, now I'm in a bind. I have to report to Wyndia as soon as possible. But I can't leave you alone, my dear young ladies."
"Uncle, you know I'm perfectly capable of taking Mina back to the castle." Nina said.
"And she won't be alone, right Ryu?" Katt said, smiling at Ryu. He just sighed.
"Well, there are no more clues for me to follow in here. I had thought Nina was the winged thief I'm hunting. She definitely is not, because the one I'm looking for has wings that look like the ones of a bat and blue hair, a tad darker than mine, and long pointy ears."
"Wait up!" Clive interrupted. "Is she one which uses a rather tight red garment and moves swifter than the wind?"
"Yes, the very same.... have you seen her?"
"Sure, the day of the battle in the Arena, I was a spectator; she was seated next to me, fully cloaked and watched the fight intently. We chatted for a while, did not get her name though, but she told me she was a Phantom Thief. Quite skilled guys those are; no lock is hard enough for them to pick. She said she was going to try her luck in Wyndia, and disappeared from my sight after the fight."
"Well, she put Bosch in a bind. Vanished from the scene and he had to flee even if he had not stolen anything, so he took the blame." Ryu said.
"You're going to have a tough time following her, I think."
"So, to Wyndia then, that's good. Well, this ranger doesn't leave his friends alone. So to answer you Katt, yes, we are going to Wyndia as well; besides, as a Ranger I would have gone there even if I had not gotten this fresh lead."
Had he looked at Mina and Nina he would have seen them smiling, relieved.
Skye now seemed relaxed. "Well, then if I go back I can get you some information on that lady-thief of yours, and you can take my niece Mina back home safely. Since she already told me that you managed to defeat a demon, I think the path should be easy, albeit long."
"Well, not to brag, but we have vanquished two with this one." Katt smiled.
"Two?" Skye asked surprised.
Katt told in a nutshell the story of the Arena manager and all of that battle.
"Well... this has to be reported to Wyndia as soon as I manage. I think I'm going to warp back; regretfully I'm only capable of transporting myself."
Nina smiled. "Well, I haven't seemed to grasp that yet, even with Meister Yoji's lessons." Mina and Nina swore that their uncle shuddered when hearing that name.
Katt looked a bit intrigued with something, deep in thought, and then she asked. "Say Mina, why did the bandits and Clive call you princess? Granted, you are quite a pretty girl, and with all the fancy dress and all of that..."
Mina, Nina and their uncle looked startled for a moment, but then they sighed. And then Nina spoke.
"Well... little Mina here indeed is the Crown Princess of Wyndia."
"So that makes you a princess, as well?" Ryu asked.
"By birth yes... but I left Wyndia some years ago to study magic," Now Nina had a pained expression. "So, I dumped that over-stuffed and pampered environment."
Davan interjected with a smirk on his face. "Little Nina in here got in a rather harsh incident with a noble boy who wanted to take advantage of her. She had no formal magic studies before that, so a latent power almost fried the letch to death. Well, since there were guards as witnesses his family could not deny the charges; surprisingly, the King and Queen decided to be lenient, since the boy had learned the really hard way not to disrespect a woman, instead of neutering him –for a start- as it would have been the norm." He paused, for air, and continued.
"After that, they decided that the safest for Nina would be sending her to study magic at the Magic Academy of NewHaven, to avoid some other possible incidents, and maybe even assassination attempts; even nobility have shady contacts."
"I would have ripped his balls off in public." Katt stated, making the men present shudder.
"Yeah, but Nina seems more like the compassionate type; no offense intended." Ryu smiled.
"None taken," Nina smiled back at him.
"So, I guess you felt pity for the boy, and pleaded the case with the... ahem, your parents." Ryu asked.
Nina lowered her sight, as if embarrassed. Her uncle spoke for her.
"Yes, she did that; It took her a great deal convincing both of them though. The Queen -who happens to be my sister- wanted him tortured and then shorter by a full head; the king wanted to perform the execution himself, but after some hours of patient pleading Nina managed to pull it. By what I have heard, the boy now is a perfect gentleman, but mention something about princesses or going to the castle, and he gets the jitters, even asking for brown pants," Skye laughed openly, making everyone else follow suit.
'Note to self... careful with the king and queen of Wyndia and their daughters.' Ryu thought.
"Well, since now everything is clear, I think we should head to Colossea for today; to prepare for our journey to Wyndia." Ryu said.
"We need to get you some travel clothes, Mina. Granted, the gown you wear is really fancy, but in the wilderness it may not be adequate for traveling; not to talk about dress shoes. Also, to avoid problems, we will have to travel undercover. A blue-haired lady with white wings is really prone to be recognized as the princess, but a hooded wyndian, may be only an unusual sight."
"And how bad could it be if I were to travel without a hood?" Mina asked, a bit innocently.
"The best? Crowds that will not allow us to go quickly," Ryu said. "The worst? Assassination attempts or other kidnapping ones by bandits; sorry if it sounds horrible, but I prefer for it to be quite clear from now on, yes?"
Nina sighed, as Mina gulped. "Y-Yes..." the later whispered.
"I'm afraid that Ryu is right, little Mina," her uncle said, sighing afterward. "Regretfully, reality outside the castle walls is not as nice as one would like."
"Come on Ryu; don't put them into a slump. We can surely kick all those baddie arses to the moon and back," Katt smiled at everyone, making them laugh.
"Well, yes, but Mina travels with a hood. A blue-haired boy like me could be assumed like a strange fellow, but nothing more."
Nina then smiled. "Agreed; I hope my baby-sister is up to it,"
"I'm not a baby, you bookworm," Mina started a glaring contest with her sister. Ryu swore that he saw small lightning bolts being exchanged.
"Stop it, ladies. You are grown enough to be bickering like little girls," Skye said, with mirth in his eyes, and an amused tone. Ryu sighed.
'Why me? Is this the punishment for painting that mustache on the dragon god all those years ago? As if that spanking wasn't enough; I just remember it and my backside starts hurting again.'
------
Several minutes later, they were outside the cabin, where Davan Skye had already said his goodbye and had warped back to Wyndia. Clive gave one of the torch-looking monster wards to Ryu, and taught him how to use it properly. As handy as they were, they did not made a fully safe place for sleeping; setting camp without a watch was pure stupidity.
Clive was about to leave, when they saw a figure coming from the road that came from the plains.
The man arrived and they saw a robed blond man. Ryu recognized Ray Braddock immediately.
"Hey! Father Ray!" he said this with a bit of amusement in his voice. Katt, Mina and Nina looked at Ryu with amazement.
"You know that guy?" Katt asked.
"Yeah, had a nice chat with him, at the church in Colossea some days ago,"
"He looks rather handsome; don't you think so, Nina, Katt?" Mina said, while smiling impishly.
"Mina!" Nina exclaimed. "Ladon's tail! He's a priest, and of St. Eva even... those are rather zealous when it comes to celibacy vows," Mina sighed in annoyance as Katt rolled her eyes.
"Come on Nina, don't be a prude; he's is cuter up close, and a perfect gentleman. Let's go greet him." Katt said, while walking towards him, at a rather quick pace.
Ryu sighed. 'Girls and romance novels,'Then he followed the woran, with the wyndian sisters going after Katt trying to catch up with her.
Clive just smiled and went after them.
"Miss Katt-Lin," Ray said. "What a pleasant surprise to find you here in this former mining encampment,"
"The pleasure is mine, father Ray."
"Please, just call me Ray." he sighed. "I'm not that old."
Then, as the sisters arrived near Katt, Ray then spoke.
"Please, allow me to properly greet you all. I am Ray Braddock, a missionary in a pogrom for St. Eva church."
Ryu arrived and smiled at him. "Don't be humble, Paladin Ray. First than everything I want to thank you for your help with Lady Aniella Kay, regarding the extra-strong antidotes."
"You're welcome, Ryu. Now, please let me properly greet all the ladies here."
He took Katt's hand and kissed it softly. Same for Nina and Mina; when he saw the latest one, he gasped, and immediately knelt before her.
"Princess Mina! I'm sorry for being so..."
Mina just giggled. "Do not worry, and please stand, father Ray. I don't like all those formalities, too stifling," then she curtsied.
"I can relate to that," he said, chuckling softly.
"Please, Ray. Allow me to introduce you to Nina here, she is my..."
"I'm Erina Skydiver, a citizen of Wyndia," Nina curtsied, and then she shot a glare towards her sister, who just nodded, remembering what her uncle said. "With the help of Katt and Ryu we rescued the princess from the clutches of the Joker and his crooks."
"That is very noble of you, people."
"Now Ray, what are you doing here in this forsaken corner of the world? No one to preach by what I can see," Ryu said with a smile on his face.
Ray chuckled, as the ladies giggled. "Certainly; well, in fact I had come with a small escort of soldiers; I had felt a demonic presence around here, but it vanished; so I'm looking for clues."
Mina then smiled and spoke. "Look, no further. These valiant people vanquished him. The Joker was possessed by a demon."
"Really?" Ray asked, with a truly surprised expression. "Then, lady Ornella was not jesting. She said that Ryu, Katt and Master Randall had defeated the demon in Colossea just about two or three days ago, and I hardly could believe it, not that I'm making fun of you, people."
"Well, no big deal. It was a hard battle, but somehow we did it," Ryu grinned sheepishly as he scratched his head. Katt and Nina exchanged glances and shuddered inwardly, as they remembered very clearly the difference between this Ryu and that other one.
"We also got all the ill-gotten money that the Joker had managed to gather; once we set foot in Colossea I'm going straight to lady Ornella and hand it over to her,"
Katt pouted, as Mina giggled; Nina just sighed when she saw Katt, and reproached her.
"Come on Katt, those crooks did too much bad stuff to a lot of people; it is only fair that the local authorities do something about it."
Ryu smiled. "Besides, monsters always have some useful remainders or pieces that can be scavenged and sold for money at poachers in villages or cities; when they are slain it is certain that they don't need their fangs or hides, others are edible, but not tasty at all, no matter what kind of spices you use… well, for a ranger; haven't tried using Siman cooking ones on those."
With this all tension seemed to loosen as everyone laughed openly, some not so open about it.
"Well, very noble of you Ryu." Ray said. "So, you need to go to Colossea quickly,"
"Yes,"
"Well, I can warp you there, saving you a great deal of time, since you defeated two demons already. St. Eva must be smiling upon you," Ray smiled; then he saw Clive in the back and his look changed to a stern expression. "You! Aren't you one of those rogues?"
"Father Ray, no need to get upset; I am but a mere helping hand here."
Mina ran towards Clive and hung on one of his arms, making him blush from what could be seen through his scarf, for his bluish skin had turned a certain shade of purple. "Please father Ray, don't be mean to Clive here. Without his help, the gang of the Joker could have never been destroyed."
"Seriously?" Ray asked to the rest. Ryu and Katt nodded, Nina as well, but she just had put a fearful expression on her face as she saw Mina's face change from happy innocence to something else, the royal manner.
"You dare to defy the word of the princess of Wyndia?" Mina asked in a harsh tone, as she released Clive's arm and stood straight, changing her cheerful demeanor to a rather commanding stance and pointing her right index finger at Ray.
Everyone but Nina gulped and flinched visibly. Ray then spoke softly. "I'm sorry your highness. It is just that..."
"I know, he does look suspicious, and was what you said; but he helped us, and I am willing to defend him in front of Ladon, St. Eva, or any other god or goddess who wishes to doubt him if the need arises. He saved our lives, and my dear uncle's. There is no possible way for me to express gratitude to that," She stated defiantly, hands on her hips this time.
Nina giggled, for she knew that her sister would stand her ground against any kind of injustices that she is witness to, even if she's a spoiled princess most of the time.
'Definitely not an innocent damsel in distress at all; my gut instinct was not wrong that day. I would pay for seeing Bosch's face when he sees this Mina. He would flee as quickly as his legs allow him. Or worse... he'd say something about bossy girls being sexier, and end up being her lap-dog.' Ryu smirked.
Ray sighed. "Your highness, I understand. Master Clive. I apologize for my earlier harsh words."
"Do not worry, father. I'm aware that my appearance is not trustworthy in the least. Honestly, I used to be one of the bandits, and..."
"Silence, Clive!" Mina glared at him, and made him flinch yet again. "You don't need to relive again your suffering; once is more than enough, yes?"
Ray was speechless; Ryu and Katt were impressed, while Nina had to stifle her giggling. Her sister really could be a handful, but making a hardened assassin flinch, that was serious business.
Clive knelt before Mina. "Princess..."
"Stand, please. I insist on that I loathe being treated like that." Mina looked towards Nina, was going to speak, but paused a moment, and then finally spoke. "Erina, do you have my uncle's ring here?" Clive did as he was asked.
"Princess Mina... you can't possibly..." Nina started to act the role of a normal wyndian citizen, but was going to protest, definitely.
"Yes, I trust him that much and Lord Davan would as well. After all he saved our lives." after this, Nina handed her the ring, sighing; no use arguing with Mina when she was in this streak.
"Clive, when I arrive to Wyndia, I will tell my uncle that you are carrying the heirloom ring of the Skye family. With that, we shall give word to the guards in the wyndian bridge that he who carries the ring shall be granted passage, and escorted towards the castle, no questions asked and as if he were a royal guest. There you will be treated as a hero and granted a passport, should you require it."
"Princess... that is..." Nina started to argue, but was silenced by a harsh glare from Mina.
"It is the least we can do for people who risked everything they had for the Crown of Wyndia, and saved the kingdom from both shame and the risk of losing the sole heir to the throne. End of discussion. Now I ask you, when shall you visit us in Wyndia?"
"I think about three or four weeks from now on. I still have some knots to untie around here and north of Colossea. Former associates going astray." Clive said in a rather grim tone. "I won't allow anyone to suffer what I went through for as long as I draw breath."
"I shall be expecting you. If you don't comply... We may have to put a bounty on your head so that you come to us." She said with a playful smirk. "Hopefully alive." she now had the evil glint in her eyes, Mina's trademark according to Nina.
"Heh! Do not worry; I won't let a free meal to pass up, yes? Also, I would fake my own death to cash in the reward," Clive winked, getting the jesting attitude of the princess; she hugged him, embarrassing him slightly, again.
Mina giggled now, putting an angelic face, totally unlike the previous display of determination. "Thank you, Clive."
Ray coughed a bit to call their attention. "As I was saying, I can take you back to Colossea rather quickly. It is the least I can do for helping the church to vanquish demons. We have heard rumors that some have started appearing, as monster attacks have been increasing slowly but steadily."
"Thank you Ray," Katt said. "But it seems that we still have business here." and she smiled sheepishly.
"Princess Mina, this isn't much, but please have this." Clive said, as he looked for something in his pouch; he handed her something, and put it delicately in her hands, for her to see. She did, and sobbed immediately, using him for support.
"Thank you... Clive... you don't know how much... this means for me."
"Maybe not, but you touched my heart that day. And now I am free to start making a better world with my little efforts. Touching my heart was the little thing that set everything in motion; you gave me back a piece of humanity that I had thought lost forever; that, princess, is something priceless to me. If this little stone helps you somewhat, please have it. Now, everyone, please excuse me, I'm going to the cabin, to plan my next moves, to avoid getting a bounty on my head." Clive allowed a glint of mirth to appear on his eyes.
"Not before I do this." Mina said, as she stood on her tiptoes, and lowered a bit the mask, and planted a kiss on his cheek near an eye, making him blush. 'Scaly, yes... but it's not gross, just hard.' She was still trying to wipe her tears, as she walked some steps away and he put his mask and scarf properly.
Meanwhile, Nina was just rolling her eyes, thinking what kind of reaction would have the Queen when she knew about this display. Not that she would tell her anyway.
Clive shook Ryu's hand as he whispered to him "Let her use my former cloak, it should be large enough for her and her wings." Ryu nodded. Finally he bowed towards Katt, Nina and Ray. "Farewell. Until we meet again," After that, he bowed before Mina, and went towards the cabin.
Mina, who still had tears on her face showed the gift to Ryu, Katt and Nina. They gasped because it was a finely chiseled little chrysm statuette depicting Suzie, her former pet. She infused it with a little bit of magical energy looking how light within flared and danced, then she willed if off and saved it in a pocket; glints of tears could be seen on her face.
"I apologize for the inconvenience, father Ray." Mina now smiled at him. Ray just nodded.
"Nothing to forgive, your highness; I was misguided by what it seems, thus I had jumped to early conclusions. I am glad this misunderstanding was clarified. Now I shall transport you to Colossea, is that good for all of you?"
"We would be glad, Ray." Ryu said with a smile. "But first, let me do something." He took out Clive's old cloak and handed it to Mina, telling her in a whisper what Clive had asked him. She nodded and put the hood on.
Ray then put his hands in a standing prayer stance, as he closed his eyes, and concentrated while gathering magical energy.
"Oh merciful Lord Saint Eva; I ask thee to allow these valiant heroes to arrive safely to Colossea as I travel through the fabric of space and time itself with the hallowed power that thou hast granted to me. Warp!" Ray released the power, encompassing all the five of them in a sphere made of magical energy.
Katt, Mina, Nina and Ryu saw that outside the sphere everything seemed to fade, turn black for a brief instant, and then a familiar setting started to appear until they recognized the familiar walls of the city of Colossea.
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A while later, they had said goodbye to Ray who had been long gone back to his troops; they all noticed that the statue of the Dragon God was back into its site, that was now cleaned and tidied up. Katt, Nina and Ryu could have sworn that the statue was grinning and waving at them for a brief instant, making them roll their eyes. Mina had not noticed this in the least.
Ryu then spoke.
"Well, I'm going towards the Arena to meet the mayor, and hand her over the ill-gotten gains." Katt again feigned a pout, as the other girls giggled, making Ryu sigh yet again.
Lady Ornella Collier, who was the acting mayor of Colossea now, thanked them for the effort, and gave them a couple of weapons that had been in the Arena treasury, as a reward since they refused to accept part of the ill-gotten money, that was now going to be used to mend as much damage caused by the Joker's gang as it would allow.
The first weapon was a magically hardened steel battle-staff, way sturdier than Katt's current one; she picked it with glee in her eyes, like a little kid with a new toy. There was a piece to attach the paw-like piece of her actual one.
The second an elegant looking Sabre from SimaFort that had a double edged blade, an ornate hilt with a hand-guard, and the most important thing for Ryu, the alloy was stronger than the one of his former Wyndian longsword. There would be some slight changes to his fighting style, and also he would have to rely more on thrusting moves, but he would have better reach than with just the knives.
Katt also wanted to have her chest with personal things in the locker room sent to the ruins beyond Mt. Futabi, but when Lady Ornella told them that regretfully with the confusion after Argus being vanquished, thieves ransacked some parts of the Arena, and that the chest was empty. When this was being spoken, Mina and Nina wondered why Ryu seemed slightly uncomfortable and flustered.
The woran girl went nearly berserk on the mayor when she heard this and had to be restrained by Ryu, who ended up really wasted after making such an exerting task, because worens are way stronger than normal humans, so the winged sisters considered that it was a rather incredible feat of might on Ryu's part.
After some pleading and reasoning by the girls, mainly Mina who whispered that she would get her some fancy-looking gowns and invite her sometime to her royal tailor, Katt was calm enough for Ryu to release her, and also getting himself teased by the girls that he liked playing strength matching with defenseless girls; Ryu only rolled his eyes and sighed, he was outnumbered to possibly come with anything to shut them up while having the upper hand.
-----
After their reward and wrestling episode, they all went to purchase some travel gear for Mina; Nina's outfit was all right according to her; the boots were comfortable. Ryu did not ever think it would be that complicated. It was hours of arguing between the ladies between fulfilling requirements for usefulness, looking pretty for Mina, moving with ease according to Katt, and Nina was not going to budge if it meant that the attire would make her look like a harlot; by Ladon's tail, her sister was a princess and at least she should be a bit conscious of it.
Finally, she went for an outfit like her sister's, that matched the worn grey cloak and had some basic arcane protection; Nina agreed, while mumbling something about it being too revealing and that she should use pants, but her sister argued back while pointing at Nina's exposed leg, saying something about giving other students and maybe even Ryu something really nice to look at. When all the girls asked Ryu what he thought about Nina's dress, he was just blushing. This made all the girls giggle and agree to take Mina's new robe, just to tease the hell out of him, making him groan in annoyance at being made fun of.
A dagger and a short bow with some arrows completed the set. She had pestered her uncle for some archery training back in Wyndia, so she knew how to handle the weapon. Comfortable travel boots, studded leather steel-laced arm-guards, and a light-steel circlet completed the set.
Katt and Nina took also a circlet for each one, better safe than sorry.
Finally poor Ryu had to pay for everything, while mumbling something money related that made the girls giggle impishly, as they clung to him just to make him blush.
The day passed, Ryu had left the blade-spider poisonous-sacs he had extracted in the hands of Lady Aniella Kay, settling the debt he felt he had, and earning him some gratitude from said lady.
After purchasing some supplies, they went for a nice and rather uneventful picnic day dedicated to fishing, hunting, resting, meditating, studying spell-books, basic weapon moves and all of that, just to rest from the crazy days they had. The journey to Wyndia would be a bit long, and a break was in order.
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Ah destined child, time to amuse me yet again. Female companionship is most interesting as far as I recall.
Which one shall you choose so I can haunt you better?
Shall you go for the feisty, strong and stalwart little kitten?
The intelligent, slender and voluptuous black winged angel?
Or... Do you prefer to be bossed around by a little angel that acts like a succubus?
Let me see you make your choice and open the path.
I shall turn your hopes in fear and your dreams in nightmares.
For I am your bane; the one who shall offer the blood of the Destined Child to Our God.
----- o -----
End Chapter 10.
Author's Notes:
- Demonic-drink Firewater it is just a name made up for the story; and it will be just something that puts Woran firewater to shame. In Bolivia they make distilled almost pure alcohol (96°) booze that's named Firewater of Huavirá; in the northern parts of Chile you may get half a liter but it's kind of not-so-legit; it comes in soldered tin-cans. Damn strong stuff if you ask me. When I was younger, like 12 or 13 years ago, we had drinking contests with that thing; it really puts Tequila to shame. About putting gunpowder on it, it is said about the Chilean army that in some war they fought in the 19th century, for some battles they used a mix of certain types of booze, gunpowder, and what else to make a really strong punch-to-the-liver called 'Chupilca del Diablo' (let's call it Demonic-drink firewater) that instilled a berserker-like frenzy and blood-lust in the soldiers. For story-telling effects, let's say that it's made from fermenting and then distilling his own poison; he found a way to turn it into strong non-lethal booze, but he doesn't know that it could be drank by anyone else, yet.
- In my take, at this point Ray is still oblivious to the true nature of the church. He knows about some power granted by the God and stuff, but not all about it. Also he has not yet awakened his latent powers; there shall be an interlude for this episode itself.
- If you are curious as how he tailored the chrysm stone, I tell you these words: blade spider poison, necrotic type. Don't ask for the exact procedure, though... haven't thought about it, yet xD!
Special Thanks:
- Ryusui, for his Retranslation.
- Lady 'Kestre Wynde' and 'Estrellita Farr' from .