Breath of Fire III: Of Gods and Dragons
Chapter Twenty-Three: The Treacherous Ocean
Written by Estrelita Farr
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Moments after Rhapala disappeared over the horizon, everyone settled down around the ship, knowing that the journey by ship would be long.
"The wind sure feels good, doesn't it, Ryu?" Nina said, stretching her wings to catch the ocean breeze.
Ryu smiled. "Yeah, it sure does."
"I wonder what it's like on the other side of the ocean…" Watching some flying fishes diving out of the water and back in again, she continued, "We'll be the first to see it, won't we?"
Garr nodded. "Indeed. Crossing the sea to meet the Goddess… even the Urkan would have never dreamed such a thing possible."
"Well…" The half-tiger rubbed the back of his head. "Something tells me that crossing the sea isn't going to be easy. I mean, there's a reason why no one's done it before, right?"
Momo, who happened to come up from the engine room in time to hear Rei's statement, shrugged. "I don't know how far it is to the other side, but the engine's running just fine, so don't worry about it."
Peco just bounced lightly on his feet. "Supuuuuu–"
"Heeey!" Zig suddenly called loudly, his booming voice coming all the way from the bridge, which prompted them to go to him. "So where d'ya want to go?"
"We want to go to the Outer Sea," Nina said.
"The Outer Sea?" he echoed in exclamation, his eyes wide with shock. "Are you sure about that?"
Ryu nodded. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's a really long story, so…"
"Uh huh… figures…" The sailor shrugged. "I thought you might say something like that… well." He crossed his arms. "I guess I should tell ya – no one who's been out there has ever returned alive, so are you sure you still want to go?"
"Look, dude," Rei said. "Do you think we'd do something crazy like this if we have a choice?"
"Okay, okay, the Outer Sea it is." He rolled up his already-short sleeves. "Well then! At least you're in good hands! Ol' Zig here's the best captain in Rha– no, in the world!" He puffed his chest. "If anyone can get you across the sea, I can! Who else is crazy enough to try, anyway?"
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It took the trembling ship two full days to travel from Rhapala to the furthest end of the Middle Sea, which connected the Inner Sea that they were all familiar with and the treacherous Outer Sea. Knowing that they would soon be in for a terribly rough ride, they remained indoors and grabbed the most stable thing they could find, such as ladders and window grilles… but since Peco had no arms to grab, however, all he could do was to barricade himself under the bed and hope for the best.
"Get ready!" Zig's booming voice carried from the bridge and into the bedroom. "Here we gooooo!"
Very soon, the ship began to shake even more violently than it usually did, to the point that most of them could not keep their balance and constantly swayed around to remain standing. Ryu was able to hold onto the ladder (that led to the bridge) with one strong arm, though with difficulty, while the other was wrapped around Nina's waist to keep her from being thrown around like a rag doll. Garr remained unflappable, being the steady rock he was, but many a time Peco's head hit the bottom of the bed frame painfully.
"Yeow!" Rei cried, clinging onto the window grille for dear life. "This is definitely NOT a picnic!"
But the ship continued on valiantly.
Few minutes upon making the transition from the Middle Sea to the Outer Sea, however, the ship became a violent shaking hell, just when everyone thought it was bad enough. Wave after massive wave crashed onto its side, tossing it here and there, rendering it practically helpless against the powerful sea.
Inside the bedroom, it was utter chaos. Momo, who had wrapped herself along the table leg, screamed as the table slid to the other end of the room and dragged her along with it. Against his will, Peco bounced several times against the bottom of the bed frame and then all over the room like a ball. Ryu lost his grip on the ladder and slid across the room like Momo, but he still held onto Nina, who was now on top of him. Even Garr had trouble keeping himself from being tossed around, and everyone knew it would certainly hurt if he landed on them.
Rei managed to make the situation worse, however. Like Ryu, he lost his grip on the window grille and, like Momo, slid across the wooden floor as though it was ice, but being the feline he partially was, he yowled and instinctively sank his claws into the wooden floor to stop himself from sliding around. Which, of course, added a terribly high-pitched screech into the list of chaotic happenings in the ship.
And, after a few more minutes of this, Zig's voice came from the bridge like heaven's salvation.
"It's too much! She'll break up! We better go back!"
"That's a GREAT idea!" Ryu yelled, wincing from the screech caused by Rei's claws.
"Rei! Stop that!" Nina cried, both her hands covering her ears.
"I can't help it!" the half-tiger shouted back. "It's a reflex!"
"Aaaaaah!" came Momo's voice as she slid around. "I can't take this anymore!"
"PYUUU!" Peco squealed, whizzing past Garr's head.
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Once they were back on the calmer waters of the Middle Sea, the after-effects of the short Outer Sea trip were apparent. Rei was on the deck, leaning over the railing and throwing up, while Ryu and Nina were looking rather sickly. Peco was completely out, dazed and his head sore from all the banging, and the red-haired engineer tended to him. Even Garr seemed a little tired.
It took some time for them to recover, but once they did, they gathered in the bridge once more (with the exception of Peco, who was still pretty much out) to discuss their next plan.
"I've heard stories, but… I never imagine it'd be that bad!" Zig shook his head. "I know I told ya; if anyone could ya there, I could… but I don't know if we can do it in this boat…"
"Hold it!" The princess stood with her arms akimbo. "Are you trying to say we should give up trying to get across? If the best sailor in Rhapala can't do it, then what are we supposed to do?"
A look of defeat showed on his usually confident face. "Sorry… I guess I just don't have what it takes to be like the Legendary Mariner…"
"The Legendary Mariner…" Momo seemed thoughtful for a moment. "Could he take us across the ocean?"
"Eh, it's not quite like that." The sailor shook his head again. "Ya see, we sailors have a legend about a sailor living here in the Inner Sea who came here from the other side of the ocean…" Upon seeing everyone's hopeful look, he quickly shook his head once more. "But it's just a legend! A story!"
"Legends are often based upon the truth…" Garr crossed his arms. "Do tell us more about this… Legendary Mariner."
"Well, ya see, I don't really know much about him…" Zig stated. "There's a little town north of Rhapala called Parch, and the mayor there might know something… maybe…"
The Dragon nodded. "I vote we head on there."
"Anything goes as long as we don't take this ship to the Outer Sea again…" Rei shuddered.
"Parch it is, then!" Nina said cheerfully. "Let's go!"
Zig saluted. "Yes, ma'am!"
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A day later, they discovered that Parch was a fishing village, completely inaccessible for people without a boat. It was slightly bigger than Cliff, with several tents and huts sitting around the sandy beach, and a large wooden platform extended out from the beach, for ships to dock. The people of the village all spoke with a strange thick accent that most of them could not understand without straining their ears a little, and there was a fishy odour hanging around in the air.
"Phew, it smells!" Nina commented, putting a hand over her nose.
"Smells? That's a heavenly smell!" Rei took a deep whiff, enjoying the smell thoroughly. "Now it's making me hungry!"
"All you could think is your stomach, huh?" Momo could not resist teasing.
"Hey!"
"So this is Parch?" Ryu asked as he observed the area.
"Yeah, a small fishing village," Zig answered. "The Porters' Guild sailors come here often to trade fishes with other things they need like bread and sugar." He looked at all of them. "I'll wait here, okay?"
The Guardian nodded. "We shall return soon."
All six of them walked along the little paths in search of the mayor's house, though the trip was a noisy one due to the fact that Rei and Momo could not stop poking fun at each other and were arguing because of it. But it was not a problem for the rest, for they were able to tune out their voices by now.
It was easy to tell which house was the mayor's, as it was the biggest building (albeit still a small one) among all the huts around. Inside was not too grandly decorated, with wooden tables and mats on the floor to substitute, and the mayor was sitting at a table, sipping tea.
The mayor was a short, rotund man with a shiny bald head, beady eyes hidden behind a pair of glasses, and a thin strip of moustache above his thin lips. Like the rest of Parch's residents, his clothes were simple.
His expression, however, was that of a very disagreeable man, and even his attendant, a golden-haired girl dressed in a simple blue dress and red shawl, seemed rather nervous as she stood nearby.
Ryu stepped forward, his head slightly bowed in respect. "Um... sir, we're interested to hear about the Legendary Mariner. Can you please tell us about him?"
"Eh? The Legendary Mariner?" The mayor gazed at him, then at all of his friends, and suddenly started shouting loudly. "If I tell the story again, you're just gonna give me more of that nasty fish to eat, aren't you?"
He was absolutely taken aback. "N-no, I–"
"FIDDLESTICKS!" With that outburst, he suddenly had a lot of energy, for he started to fling things – vases, books, plates, even pillows – at them. "No more fish! I'll just sit here and starve to death, I will!"
His attendant squealed, flabbergasted. "S-sir!"
He flung a huge plate at Garr, barely missing his head and wing. "Hah! And when I'm dead, put my ashes in the Maekyss River!"
"We should leave," the Guardian stated calmly despite the chaos, turning to leave.
"Yeah, good idea!" Rei hurried after him, followed by the rest of their companions.
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"I'm sorry…" the mayor's attendant muttered a few minutes later. "He's not usually like this, it's just that he dislikes fish ever since he was ill, and now he hardly speaks to anyone…"
"Doesn't that beat all?" Rei rubbed the back of his head. "Hating fish when you live in a fishing village?
She gave a nod. "He originally came from Central Wyndia, so I think he's just homesick for some Wyndian cooking…"
"Hm… come to think of it…" Nina seemed thoughtful. "He did mention Maekyss River, didn't he?"
Upon the mention of Maekyss River, Ryu could not help but to remember the time when Balio and Sunder, the two brothers, who fell to their death from the bridge there ten years ago. But he ignored that bitter memory and asked, "What about it, Nina?"
She turned towards him. "Maekyss River is where a famous cook called Kimiko lives. When you mention Wyndian cuisine, her name's bound to come up somewhere. I heard about her from one of the castle cooks."
"You mean, we have to find her all the way at Maekyss River?" Momo asked. "It's a long way from here!"
"Yes, but… Kimiko's particularly famous for her dish called shisu, which is made of fish but doesn't taste like one."
The attendant squealed. "If he eats that, then he won't hate fish anymore!"
Ryu nodded. "It's a long shot, but it's still a chance to get him to talk."
The half-tiger shook his head. "Man, more walking around…"
"Not necessarily." All eyes turned onto Nina, who suddenly looked cheerful. "I may not look like it, but I can cook some Wyndian dishes, shisu included!"
The attendant's eyes lit up. "You do? That's great!" She gestured towards the back of the house. "We'll let you use any ingredient we have in the kitchen! Come on, follow me!"
As everyone else complied, Ryu moved next to Nina, with an awed expression on his face. "Wow, Nina, I didn't know you could cook."
The princess smiled. "It's something I do whenever I could find the time to sneak into the kitchen. Except that…" Embarrassment washed over her face. "While I know the recipe, this will be the first time I'm cooking it."
His expression fell. "The first time?"
"Yea, but don't worry!" She gave a confident grin. "I'm sure it'll turn out fine!"
However, despite Nina's confidence and insistence that she could handle it, three hours' worth of chaos broke out in the kitchens, and those not involved had no desire to learn what exactly happened in there. But true to her word, she could certainly cook. With the attendant's help, she soon emerged with a plate of shisu, which prompted most of them to gather around her to admire the dish.
Shisu was actually a ball of shaly seed dipped in vinegar, combined with shredded horseradish, with a slice of mackerel on it. Everyone else had not seen shisu before, but even they saw how delicious it looked.
"Wow!" was Ryu's reaction.
"That really looks delicious!" the half-tiger commented, licking his lips. "Mind if I take some?"
Garr shook his head. "That would certainly not be a good idea, Rei…"
Momo nodded. "But you'll have no problems getting the mayor to talk with this, Nina!"
"I sure hope so," the princess responded with a sheepish smile. "It tasted fine to me, but who knows if the mayor–"
"We won't know until we try, right?" the attendant interrupted. "C'mon, let's go give it to the mayor!"
"Pui!" Peco agreed.
The attendant took the dish, holding it in a careful manner, and strode slowly towards the mayor's seat in the room. Despite her eagerness earlier, it was apparent that she was terribly nervous, for she seemed hesitant to approach him.
"Um… M-Mr. Mayor, s-sir…" she stammered.
"What is it?" the mayor snapped; apparently he was still rather steamed up, but otherwise he made no move to throw anything around. "Go on, girl, speak up!"
"S-sir, t-the guests earlier m-made something for y-you…" Bowing her head completely, she held out the dish in front of her. "Please t-try it!"
He stood up abruptly, making her squeal, but on his face was not an expression of anger, but of utter surprise. "W-what's this?" He took a step forward, his eyes wide open and looking like a frog's bulging eyes, and then gasped. "This… this is shisu!"
Without warning, he grabbed the whole dish, scaring the life out of his attendant, and began swiftly scooping the shisu into his mouth. He ate like a desperate, ravenous survivor of a deserted island, and as he chewed, an expression of pure bliss washed over his face.
Rei swallowed. "…wow, now I want to try shisu too!"
"Sorry, Rei…" The winged girl appeared embarrassed. "I only made enough for the mayor!"
"Aw, darn it!" He swished his tail in disappointment. "Man, doesn't that just beat all…"
They turned back towards the mayor of Parch, who had just finished with his meal. He took a deep breath, a look of satisfaction on his face, and then sat on his seat once more.
"Whew!" he cried, patting his stomach. "That horseradish's got a good kick to it!"
"Is it g-good, sir?" his attendant asked meekly, serving him some hot tea.
"Good? It's GREAT!" Then he let out a hearty laugh, all traces of his frustration gone.
Upon seeing this, many of his servants cheered, including Ryu, Nina, Momo and Rei. The half-tiger and engineer gave each other a high-five, and Nina danced around in happiness with her hands holding Ryu's. Even Peco joined in the fun by bouncing around their legs.
The mayor was certainly in high spirits again!
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"Hm…" The mayor rubbed his chin, much later after everyone had calmed down. "Crossing the Outer Sea, eh?"
"Yes," Nina confirmed. "And we heard about the Legendary Mariner who crossed the ocean. Can you please tell us about him?"
"Well, normally I'd tell you to get such foolish notions out of your head…" He took a sip from his teacup. "But I owe you for the shisu, don't I?"
"Does that mean you'll help us?" Rei asked hopefully.
He didn't immediately reply. Instead, he went to an old wooden cupboard in the corner of the room, searched through all the books and papers in there, and then pulled out a piece of ragged yellow paper.
"Here, take this," he said as he gave them to Ryu.
"What's this?" the Dragon asked, peering at the paper.
"Hm… a sea chart?" Garr suggested.
The mayor nodded. "That shows all the currents in the sea around here." He pointed on a particular part of the chart. "If you follow it, you should be able to get through the crags to the east. That's where you'll find the Legendary Mariner."
"So it's true!" Nina grinned. "The Legendary Mariner really exists!"
Rei grinned as well. "So what are we waiting for? Let's go!"
Just as they left the house, however, the mayor's attendant called them.
"Wait, don't go yet!" she cried, running towards them.
Momo blinked. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"Thanks to you, the mayor recovered his vigour!" She smiled. "Here, I wanted to give this on the behalf of all the servants!"
She handed a fishing rod to them, which Ryu took eagerly. He could tell that this was really a high quality rod, better than the one he had years ago. It would be useful to use this to catch fishes for food during their journey across the sea.
"Oh, you didn't have to…" Nina smiled. "I enjoyed cooking with you."
"No, no! It's the least we can do! He was like that for so long, we all didn't know what to do!"
"But now you know how to make shisu, right?" Rei grinned. "Make sure you keep your mayor happy with that!"
She nodded vigorously. "Yes, of course! Thank you all so much!"
While the ship travelled out to the sea, everyone stood on deck and waved at her, who soon became just a tiny speck on the horizon. And, as Ryu watched the sun set in the golden sky, he thought of all the good friends he had made during his travels and all the support and help they had given.
It made him resolve determinedly not to lose to the Goddess again.
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The distance would have taken them only a day to reach, but it took them a day and a half due to the complexity and difficulty in navigating through the tides. They soon came across a lonely hut on a wooden platform, floating safely among the crags.
After some discussion, Ryu, Nina, Momo and Rei would be the ones to descend, together with Zig, who was finally allowed to come after he created such a fuss about meeting the Legendary Mariner. Garr stayed back as they were afraid his weight would sink the entire platform, and Peco was dozing happily in the afternoon sun.
A green parrot, with a colourful tail and a blue crest, was pecking at a crab that was running sideways along the platform, chasing it all over the place. As Ryu and the others stepped down from the ship, however, the parrot abandoned its game and flew to the opposite end of the platform, towards an old man. It gave a little whistle like a songbird.
"I know, Duan, I know," a cracked voice came from him. "We've got guests…"
"Um, excuse me," the princess said as they approached him.
The old man turned around, gazing at all of them. He wore simple blue shirt and shorts, and no shoes on his feet. Red goggles framed his eyes, and his silver hair was long and messy.
When they approached, he spoke first, "That's a Guild ship, ain't it? What would the Guild want with me?" Before anyone could reply, he continued, "Anyway, welcome. Come inside, have some coffee or something."
Inside the hut was modestly decorated. All it had were a table surrounded by three stools in the middle of the room, a single bed in one corner and a cupboard on the other, all made from wood. There was also a wooden counter along the far end of the room, most likely for him to prepare food.
The old man headed first to the cupboard, pulling out some dusty cups, and gave them a good long wash in the sea water outside before placing them on the table. As he poured steaming hot coffee into the mugs, the parrot perched on the corner of the table, next to him.
"Sugar cube, sugar cube!" it squawked, waving its wings, and then clicked its beak.
"Ah, that's right, Duan." The old man chuckled as he reached into the counter for a bag of sugar cubes. "I always forget my sugar…"
"That's a cute parrot you have, sir," Nina commented, watching the parrot whistle in awe. "Where did you get it from?"
"Aye, missy." He proceeded to put the sugar cubes into each mug. "It was a long, long time ago, from the land across the sea…" A distant look washed over his face, as though reminiscing upon past memories, his voice cracked with sadness.
"So it's true!" Zig shouted, lumbering forward. "You're the Legendary Mariner!"
"Legendary Mariner…" The old man sat down heavily on a stool, shaking his head in disbelief. "Are they still calling me that? It's been a long time, after all…"
"You're a legend among us sailors!" he continued in his loud voice. "There ain't any sailor who don't know ya!"
He sighed sadly. "My name is Kukuys, I'm not a sailor… I haven't explored the reaches of the Outer Sea…"
Momo shook her head. "Whaaaat? So you don't have a boat we could use?" She seemed disappointed at the fact that she would not get to see a ship different from the one Rhapala was using.
"You mean…" Ryu's voice trailed off.
Kukuys nodded. "Yes… I did come from the other side of the sea… not as a sailor, but as a castaway…"
"A c-castaway?" Zig exclaimed, aghast; apparently he could not believe that someone he grew up learning as a legend was not what he thought at all.
"Even if you're not a sailor…" All eyes turned onto the half-tiger, who was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. "You still know how to cross the ocean, right?"
"Yes, that's right!" Nina stated. "Please tell us, Kukuys! We have to get across the Outer Sea!"
"Impossible…" he muttered. "No Inner Sea boat could make the trip. And besides…" His voice turned slightly bitter. "There's nothing worth mentioning out there."
"Yeah, right!" the engineer cried with sarcasm. "Then where do all those machines come from?"
"If you got here, there must be a way for us to get there!" Ryu shook his head. "Please tell us how, Kukuys!"
Kukuys glanced at all of them. "…if you're that determined, then maybe there's a way…" Gesturing towards the Outer Sea, he continued, "You must find a certain ship… one that's made of black metal…"
"Black metal…" Momo muttered. "That's new…"
"The Black Ship?" Zig suggested.
The old man nodded. "Ah, yes, you know it as the Black Ship… it's a large ocean-going transport and is completely automated, so if you could get aboard it somehow…"
"Then it'll take us back to where it came from, the other side!" the princess shouted excitedly.
"Oh boy!" Momo cried, even more excited than her. "I wonder how the ships from the other side look like!"
Rei seemed hesitant. "Uh oh, I sure hope it's not like the boat we came on…"
"Thanks, Kukuys." Ryu smiled. "You sure helped us out."
"Don't mention it." Kukuys stood by the window, gazing out onto the sea. "Though it beats me why you want to go there…" His voice was tinged with sadness and bitterness.
The Dragon glanced at him in concern, then turned to face his companions. "We should go."
The others just nodded silently and boarded the ship once more, Zig hesitated, looking as though he wanted to give him a piece of his mind for deceiving him and so many other sailors for being a so-called Legendary Mariner, but in the end decided otherwise and joined the rest, leaving the old man to contemplate on his past life on the other side of the ocean.
And the parrot perched on his shoulder, whistling softly to cheer him up.
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"Are you REALLY crazy enough to do it?" Rei cried.
"I only said it MIGHT work!" the engineer retorted, her rabbit ears perked up.
They were all on the upper deck (save for Peco, who was once again snoozing happily in the sun), discussing of a way to stop the Black Ship long enough for them board and make it set course for the other side. Though, of course, for Rei and Momo, the discussion soon lapsed into an argument.
"That's really enough, you two…" Ryu said in exasperation.
Honey, who was on his shoulder, merely nodded.
"That's right!" Nina stood straight, her hands placed on her hips in a tomboyish manner. "Now it's either you two suggest another way for us to stop the ship, or we proceed with the plan!"
That certainly shut them up.
"…I really doubt it'll work…" Momo hesitated, aiming properly with her cannon. "But here goes! Yah!"
With her chrysm cannon, a shot was fired the best she could. The chrysm energy travelled through the air at top speed, moving at a forty-five degrees angle, curved slightly and then crashed onto the bow of the Black Ship like a meteor. However, the black metal the ship was made was proven to be very strong, as the shot barely even scratched it.
"See!" the engineer shouted triumphantly. "I don't think we can stop it that way!"
Rei, whose eyes were the sharpest, then abruptly yelled, "Hey, look! Something's moving there!"
"Huh? What?" the Dragon said.
Everyone else turned towards the Black Ship, wondering what the half-tiger was yelling about. They were all just in time to see a turret gun, one of many at the side of the deck, spin around to get a better aim at them.
And a million shots rained down on them!
"WARGH!" Rei exclaimed.
"Ahh!" the women screamed.
"Zig!" Ryu cried as loud as he could. "Get us out of here! QUICK!"
"Aye aye, captain!" the sailor answered from the bridge, and turned the boat so abruptly that most of them were thrown onto the deck. Within moments, it sped away from the now ferocious Black Ship.
However, apparently it was not interested in pursuing them, for after they were out of range, it left them alone. Once the Rhapala boat had settled down on the calm waters of the Middle sea and everyone recovered from the shock of being attacked, Rei and Momo were back to arguing once more.
"What were you thinking?"
"Are you saying it's my fault?"
"Who else are crazy enough to do that anyway?"
"You!"
Sighing at yet another argument, the others left them alone and at met up on the other end of the deck, where they found Peco still snoozing away.
"Pefuuuuuu…" he snored.
"Wow, after all that, he's still sound asleep." The princess giggled. "How does he do that?"
Ryu chuckled. "Who knows?"
"Well, anyway…" She sat on a crate. "We need a new plan of some sort now… there's got to be something we can do, right?"
Garr crossed his arms. "I think we will have trouble not once we are aboard the ship… and that seems to be the problem, is it not?"
"Attacking the ship doesn't work…" Ryu turned his two companions. "I think I'll try flying over." He shrugged. "I won't know exactly what to do once I'm on board, but at least we can try, right?"
He gave a nod. "Do be careful."
"Right." With that, Ryu took on the Warrior Dragon form in a burst of light, his long golden hair flowing in the wind.
"Good luck!" Nina said, waving.
The Dragon nodded and rose gracefully into the air, facing the Black Ship. There was quite a distance between the two ships, but he could easily cover the distance in a mere period of three seconds. Once he was near enough, he slowed down, approaching gingerly, wondering if the weaponry on the ship would fire at him the same way earlier.
It did.
With a low whir, the nearest two turrets turned in his direction, adjusted their vertical angle, and sent a series of flame-hot shots at him.
He gave a high roar of surprise and quickly flew out of the way, just as the shots crashed into the sea and created a pillar of sea water that leaped upwards.
Okay, so it was a bad idea.
With another idea in his mind, he transformed once more, this time into the serpentine form of the Tiamat. He paused for a moment, wondering if he would feel any evil from the form like the time he was nearly possessed in Dauna Mine… but after some time, nothing happened. Sighing with relief, he lowered himself into the water and slithered easily through the sea, approaching the ship slowly.
Would the weaponry target him once more?
Unfortunately, yes.
One small part of the ship's metal hull, which was submerged underwater, suddenly separated to reveal something – rockets. With a loud whoosh, two rockets were fired towards him, leaving a trail of thick smoke behind them, with the intention of incinerating him.
In another burst of light, he took on the Pygmy form, which gave a loud shriek as he turned and sped through the water like an incredibly speedy fish, very well ahead of the rockets. When he neared the Guild's ship, he shot out of the water like a flying fish, glowing brightly, and landed on next to Garr on his human feet.
"Never again I'll try approaching a weapon-filled ship!" Ryu declared, breathing rapidly from the adrenaline. "No matter what Dragon form I take!"
Nina giggled. "Must have been really scary."
Taking a deep breath, he straightened. "So… what now? Attacking it didn't work, and neither does even flying close…"
"Hm, mayhap it is time to see if our two lovebirds have finished their argument," Garr stated and began striding towards the remaining two of their companions.
True enough, the duo seemed to have cooled off a little, though they still had a scowl on their faces and were facing away from each other with their arms crossed. Ryu decided to speak to them separately, for his sanity's sake.
"If that dummy hadn't attacked it like that," Rei muttered angrily. "It wouldn't have gotten angry and come after us, you know…"
"Um, okay…" was all his blue-haired companion could say.
Momo, on the other hand, was not as stubborn. "So what are we going to do now? The shot didn't work earlier…"
"We're not sure on what to do, either," Nina admitted. "Ryu tried flying on board, which didn't work. We've asked everyone else, but no one seems to have a clue."
"Hm…" She looked thoughtful, then shouted as an idea hit her, "Oh, I know! We could ram it!"
"Ram it?" the half-tiger exclaimed upon hearing her, facing her. "Are you NUTS?"
"Nuts? I don't hear you suggesting anything, wise guy!"
The Dragon blinked. "…they don't let up, do they?"
Nina nodded. "Seems like it."
"If we are to ram the ship, might I suggest doing it from its rear?" Garr crossed his arms. "Perchance it will not strike us."
"Ramming the ship… it sounds scary." The princess grinned. "But it's also exciting at the same time!"
Ryu stared at her. "I don't think it's that exciting…"
Zig, on the other hand, was pretty much in agreement with Nina, though at first he was shocked.
"What?" his booming voice shouted, audible all over the ship. "Ram it?"
The Dragon winced at his loud voice. "Um, I know it sounds crazy, but it's the only w–"
Then, suddenly, he gave a loud guffaw. "Bwahaha! All right! That's what I hope you'd say!" He grinned and flexed his biceps. "Leave it to great ol' Zig!"
"…somehow, that doesn't sound reassuring…" Ryu muttered as the ship began to pick up speed.
"Here we go!" the sailor yelled. "Full speed AHEEEAAAAAD!"
"No, Zig!" he cried. "Not yet! I said not yeeeEEEEET!"
The ship suddenly accelerated violently, moving at such incredible speed that both Ryu and Nina lost their balanced and were pulled back towards the further wall of the bridge by the sheer force of inertia!
"Aaah!" the princess screamed. "Zig! Stop!"
"Bwahaha! You ain't seen nothing yet!" With a big grin, he shouted, "YEAH!"
And the ship picked up even more speed!
Outside, on deck, chaos ensued once more. When the ship suddenly accelerated, Rei yowled once more and instinctively dug his claws into the floorboard in an attempt to keep himself balanced, which resulted in more high-pitched screeches. Garr had one strong arm around a rail, with the other holding onto Peco's legs, and Momo was clinging onto another rail, screaming.
"How the heck can this damn ship even go this fast?" the half-tiger yelled. "I'm NEVER taking this ship again!"
"PUKYUUUU!" Peco exclaimed, having being abruptly awakened by a speeding boat.
"The ship'll hold!" Momo cried, covering her eyes with one hand. "At least, I hope it'll hold! AAAAHH!"
"Here it comes… here it comes…" Rei chanted, his wide eyes glued to the incoming Black Ship, and then yelled, "OH NO, HERE IT COMES! WAAAARRGH!"
KABOOM DISH ZOMG AAAAHH PADUMDISH BOOM CRAAAAAASH!
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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It had been chaos while the ship was speeding, but even after it had long stopped, the aftermath of the ship was even more chaotic; Garr was lying on the floor flat on his face, while Momo lay sprawled near the edge with Peco on her head, dizzy and dazed. Both Ryu and Nina had fallen down the ladder from the bridge and into the bedroom, with Ryu lying among the scattered furniture and Nina (fortunately) landed on an upright bed. Rei, however, was unfortunate enough to fall right overboard and was clinging onto the railing for dear life.
"Heh heh… there ya go!" Zig said triumphantly, resting his hands on his knees and bending to look at Ryu and Nina in the bedroom below. "Told ya I was good for sumthin', eh?"
"Zig…" the Dragon muttered, a dazed look on his face. "I'll talk to you later when… everything stops spinning…"
"…pui…" came Peco's whimper from the outside.
"HALP!" Rei cried.
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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Despite being hit with a ship a third of its size, the Black Ship showed no signs of aggressiveness, unlike before. The damage on its side was a mere minimum, with a slight dent towards the bottom, but as for Rhapala's ship, its bow was crushed beyond recognition.
"…well, the Guildmaster did say to use this ship all you want…" Zig said. "They're getting new ships soon, anyway."
"Don't worry about it, Zig!" Momo said cheerfully. "The engine's perfectly fine, so it'll hold until you get back!"
"So, what now?" the half-tiger asked, his tail bobbing up and down. "Do we get onto the ship or what?"
She nodded. "Yeah. If we get to the bridge, we should be able to figure out how the automated systems work and how to set it to return to the other side."
"Let's go then," Ryu stated. "It might take a while to find the bridge…"
The interior of the ship was such a spectacular place that it blew everyone's mind. While the Rhapala boat was made of wood and had one engine running below, the Black Ship was made entirely of black metal. Everywhere they turned were machinery that gave it a futuristic look that seemed even more advanced than that of Palet's hidden facilities at the plant.
"Wow!" Momo exclaimed, running a few steps forward. "Look at this! It's so different from the ships they use in Rhapala!"
"Momo!" Nina cried. "Look out!"
"Huh? Wh–"
"Idiot!" Rei growled as he leaped forward, with a speed that none of them could match, and quickly pulled her back by the collar as a beam of laser fried the floor she was standing on.
And before them, a group of machine soldiers, shaped like a gigantic gorilla, stood with their eyes flashing red.
"INTRUDER ALERT," they chorused in metallic voices. "BEGIN EXTERMINATION."
"Man, doesn't this just beat all?" Rei pulled out his dual daggers. "Can't you just stay out of trouble?"
"What? Trouble follows me whenever you're here!" Momo countered.
The azure-haired man shook his head in exasperation. "Looks like this will be a long journey…"
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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The trip in search of the ship's bridge was certainly long. Not only the group had to put up with a constant stream of machine soldiers, they also had to put up with a constant stream of argument from Momo and Rei – suddenly quarrelling seemed to be their newest hobby.
But they finally reached their destination in the end.
The bridge was, unlike the rest of the ship's interior, more spacious. The only machinery here was the controls, sitting in the centre of the space in a U-shaped counter, facing the transparent glass walls that allowed the sunlight to shine in. Through the glass, they could see the front half of the ship's deck, and beyond that was the great blue sea.
At the sight of the controls, Momo stopped in awe and thought hard.
"Hm… looks like…" She frowned as she played around with the controls. "It looks like this is used to set the ship's destination. If we restart this, it'll do just what Kukuys said – it'll go back across the sea."
"I see, that's what we're aiming for." Ryu nodded. "Do you think you'll be able to do it?"
She grinned. "Of course!" Then the grin turned into a sheepish smile. "But it might take me some time."
"Take as much as you need, Momo!" Nina said brightly. "We're counting on you!"
"Thanks!"
Rei shrugged. "Well, I'll bet she'll take a long time on this…"
"Why you…!"
The others had no comment.
The onion tilted his head a little in puzzlement. "Pui?"
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-o-o-o-o-o-
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"Hey!" Zig half-shouted, once all six had returned to the upper deck about two hours later. "Looks like the Black Ship's starting to move!"
"Yeah, so that means it's time for us to go." Nina smiled, turning towards the sailor. "Thanks for everything, Zig."
"Sure!" He grinned. "Be careful, eh?"
Ryu, who had been silent all this while, suddenly spoke, "…everyone." The serious tone of his voice made the others turn towards him in surprise.
"Huh?" Momo said, surprised. "What is it, Ryu?"
"Once we get across the sea… to the other side…" His voice was forlorn as he bowed his head, closing his eyes. "…it's only going to get more dangerous from now on. We may lose even our lives."
The princess gazed at him in concern. "Ryu…?"
"So that's why…" He looked up at them, his voice hardened, a look of determination on his face. "…that's why I ask you, please let me go on alone from here."
"WHAT?" most of them exclaimed.
"How can you say that, Ryu?" Nina was the first to shout. "There's no way I'm not going with you!"
"She's right!" Rei cried. "Do you think we're just going to let you go on a suicide mission?"
Momo, for once, was on agreeing terms with him. "Yeah! We've come so far, we can't leave now!"
"Pukyu KYU!" Peco protested just as loudly, bouncing madly up and down, with Honey desperately clinging onto his head.
For quite some time, the Guardian did not speak while the other four protested noisily, with an expression of pure calm on his face. Then, he cleared his throat, to silence the others, and spoke.
"…Ryu." He folded his arms across his chest. "When they chose to accompany you on your quest, they had already known it to be dangerous." He gazed at the Dragon. "Even more so after Deis told us the truth."
"I… know." Ryu returned the gaze, though not as determined now. "But this journey… this battle is mine. My destiny as Lord Ladon's warrior is to fight Myria until I die. And in my battles, I led so many to their deaths…" He slowly closed his eyes, a pained expression on his face. "It's not too late for you to turn back where it's safe…"
Everyone else remained silent, not quite knowing what to say.
"…Ryu…" Nina approached him and placed a hand gently on his shoulder. "Ryu, we're not your soldiers, you're not leading us to die." She smiled slightly. "We're your companions, to support you in your hardship."
"That's right!" the engineer agreed. "And friends stick together, okay?"
"Look, Ryu, I know how you feel about things, but eh…" Rei rubbed the back of his head. "You'll only make me feel like I've lost another brother, y'know?"
"I, too, feel the same." Garr, putting an arm across his chest, then bowed towards him. "And I have sworn to the lives of the Brood that I stole; while I draw breath, harm shall not befall you."
The azure-haired man gazed at all of them, a smile beginning to form on his face. "Everyone…"
"Geez, lighten up, Ryu!" Rei shrugged. "We're going together, and that's that!" He leaped onto the upper deck of the Black Ship and spun around towards them. "And wipe that look off your face! You look like you want people to use your face as a mop to swab the deck!"
That ridiculous, out-of-place statement was just what they needed to lighten the mood, for everyone burst into laughter, with Zig being the loudest and Ryu looking extremely embarrassed. Even Garr could not suppress a chuckle, while Peco was rolling and rolling on the floor.
As they all parted with Zig, who sailed back towards Rhapala, the Black Ship then turned and headed out to the sea.
Ryu then closed his eyes, feeling the energy flow within him, and a golden light formed in the middle of his forehead. Immediately after, a sphere of the same golden light appeared above his head, shining very brightly even in the sunlight, and a thin beam shot from it, extending all the way to the horizon.
Garr gazed upward, to the beam of golden light that acted as a guide. "The road to the Goddess… to the Goddess that I… and Ryu… must meet…"
"Correction," Nina interrupted. "The Goddess that we all must meet!"
"That's right!" Rei declared.
Ryu smiled, feeling a renewed determination. He had great friends, no doubt about it, and the bond among them unconsciously grew stronger.
"And that bond's important, Ryu," Ladon's voice whispered.
He knew. And he would not let them down.
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End of Chapter Twenty-Three.
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Author's Note:
Well, in the game, I get confused between the Inner Sea and the Middle Sea. Sometimes they call it Inner Sea, sometimes they call it Middle Sea. So I changed it in such a way that the Inner Sea is the circle of water that connects Rhapala to Junk Town and all the other towns, while the Middle Sea is the transition between the Inner Sea and the Outer Sea. Less confusing that way. o_o
And shisu = sushi? Why can't they just call it sushi? Copyrighted name?
Also, please don't mind that "KABOOM DISH ZOMG AAAAHH PADUMDISH BOOM CRAAAAAASH" phrase… it's completely unprofessional, yeah, but I couldn't help it. xP I was going for the classic cartoon crash, those chaotic sound effects in a series of crashes (like in Tom and Jerry, when Tom rolls helplessly and crashes into xx number of breakable ornaments, or like in Bugs Bunny, when Daffy Duck goes into a room full of explosives, you get the idea). Except this is my own version of a very chaotic crash!
It consists of kaboom (your typical boom sound), dish (please refer to "pa-dum-dish" later in this sentence!), zomg (my classic exclamation, a variation of omg), aaaahh (a yell), pa-dum-dish (some of my online male friends do this to imitate a drum!), boom (a simpler typical boom sound) and, of course, it wouldn't be complete without a crash!
I had fun with that line. :D
Edit:
Oh, boy. If you read my updated notes at the end of Chapter 19, then you'll know what happened here as well. That super long crash sound effect that I described on top was removed after FanFiction (dot) net made some funky updates and erased anything too long to be an actual word. So, I made do by adding some spaces between each word, as well as some extra spaces between the exclamation marks (since they also removed any dual punctuation marks) and hopefully it's still as funny. Sorry about that. :(
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Review Replies for Chapter Twenty-Two:
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To RedemptionWarrior:
Yeah, it might look like Ryu's just collecting forms… though I tried making him use at least some. Ryu has not only used the Whelp, Dragon / Trygon and Hybrid forms, he has also used the Warrior form against Gaist, and in this chapter I updated today, he used the Tiamat and Pygmy forms, though not in combat.
As this novelisation advanced, it seems Ryu's the type to not transform unnecessarily, so I can't make him use a wide range of Dragon forms for the heck of it – only when he needs it. It's a challenge, I know, but I hope to use all the Dragon forms at least once before the end of the novelisation. x_x
As for the Pygmy Dragon being found inside the Angler; that was done in the spur of the moment. The gene that gives the form, Mutant, can be found at Steel Beach, but since I omitted the whole freighter exploration part, I had to find a way to make it being found without them going into the freighter. Not to mention that the freighter is a place that people of the guild frequented, so the chrysm crystal would've been found since it's a source of energy. But hey, I did rate this story as T and not just K+. xP
Thanks for the review!
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To drake202:
Oh, Radiant Dragon as in the Dragon form that's Light-elemental… the only problem is, I already have the Force Dragon and Trygon forms (the Trygon being the Force Dragon's golden form), so it'll be a repetition if I were to put another Force Dragon that's Light-elemental. Maybe I could have done it differently?
Thanks for reviewing though, glad that you like the chapter!
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To Airess Byrd:
Thanks! I like Deis too… well, the BoF3 version, at least. I never did like the BoF4 version of Deis, she's just so… different. Though Garr being embarrassed is funny, it's usually nice to know a stoical guy like him can still be embarrassed occasionally. xP
Though don't be too hard on yourself, I always had to use a walkthrough to look for all of the parts or risk spending hours for the search. It's rather boring, I agree. x_x
And I always find the Pygmy Dragon so cute; it may look small and harmless, but it's very speedy!
Thanks for the review. :D
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To Nina Windia:
I find Momo kinda funny when it comes to pile of junks; she's certainly an oddball. I just wonder how Rei could stand being with her when he doesn't really understand or stand machinery. xP
I dunno why, but they do get into trouble with ships a lot… by the time I reach this part in-game, I was like, "What? Again? Darn you, Porters' Guild! You need to beef up your service more!" Bad service, really, reminds me of my internet connection. x_x
Thanks for reviewing!