Chapter 38: The Ryulent Part 1 of 2: The Lord of Spirits and Bonding with the Priestess of Yamato

"Yayoi, that was awesome! You, Renee and Ladius did a great job toasting that so called god of Yamato!" Lloyd cheered as Yayoi ran up to Ladius, looking distressed a bit.

"Yayoi… How do you feel?" Ladius asked in concern.

"…I was taught that our god protected us… But now I know the truth and defied that evil beast." A smile crept up in Yayoi's face. "Now all the priestesses that were sacrificed for nothing can rest in peace now that I have avenged them. To be honest, I felt relieved of helping you and Miss Renee." Without a moment, Yayoi hugged Ladius, he was caught off guard by this, but smiled gently and patted her on the head.

Ryutai however, was shocked by this and he stammered "O-O-Ooohhhh…. What have you done…"

Dyshana walked up to Ryutai and reassured him with "Do not worry. He was an evil larva, little more than the remains of a lesser god."

Yayoi turned to Ryutai and also agrees with Dyshana. "Ryutai, Dyshana speaks the truth." She vouched for her new friends.

"There was no protective spirit. Didn't you hear what that thing said?" Jura asked with a kind smirk and leveled head.

Ryutai looked away, rather ashamed that he forgotten about what Quadwas said. "Well, yes… but…"

Dyshana smirked eerily and answered his woes with "If it will satisfy you, we will remain in Yamato for some time. If all is well, then will you believe us?"

"If the legends are true, then disaster should strike Yamato now that the protective spirit is gone." Yayoi remembered the false teachings she was taught.

"If that happens, then you may do with us as you pleased." Renee told them with arms crossed.

"What?! You mean execute us?! No way! I rather not die and-"Luke was about to protest, but Tear stepped on his foot. "Ow! Damn it you bitch!" Luke winced as he held his foot up and nursed the pain.

"We will accept any punishment you may give us if Yamato falls." Duelo bowed lightly.

Ryutai nodded in understanding and said "Very well, if you insist. We shall see what happens. After that, I shall make my decision. Is that acceptable, Yayoi?"

"Yes." Yayoi nodded as she looked at Ladius, she couldn't help but blush

"Then let's head on back to Yamato. I'm soooo tired!" Meu yawned as she stretched her arms.

Renee's POV

After three days, Dyshana was right. Yamato is safe and is not under the protection of that false god.

Normal POV

Ryutai smiled and told Dyshana "It appears you were correct, Dyshana. There was no protective spirit after all." He bowed in gratitude and said "Thank you for ridding us of the impulsive beast. I cannot thank you all enough."

"Oh, it was nothing." Colette closed her eyes and smiled as she tried to return Ryutai's bow with her own, but tripped and fell down. Lloyd sweat dropped, for some reason, he remembers that often.

"Is there anything we can repay you with?" Ryutai asked as he looked at our heroes as if they were his people's Messiahs.

Neptune was about to ask about free food until Noire and IF covered her mouth to shut her up.

Ladius smiled softly and said "Your people here treat us as if we were your own. It seems wrong to demand more from you." He bowed lightly.

"Besides… we have to continue on our journey to save the universe from Summerill." Kirito told him with a soft smile.

"The king regrets he can do nothing more for you, but if that is your wish…" Ryutai said, feeling a bit depressed that the heroes have to leave. It was then, Yayoi stepped forward with something to say.

"Ryutai, I have a request. In order to repay them for saving my life, a life that was all but lost, I wish to offer them my help, in any way I can." She looked at Ryutai with pleading eyes and pleaded "I believe I have fulfilled my duty in Yamato, so please, allow me to fulfill my new duty with them."

Ryutai nodded in agreement and said "Very well… Please look after Yayoi."

Winfield chuckled nervously and muttered "I would say –leave her to us- but that might sound… strange." He smiled and reassured Ryutai "Put those worries from your mind. We may not look it, but we have soft hearts, all of us. Yayoi will be safe with us."

"I feel bad leaving, but we need to be on our way." Rei smiled slightly.

Ryutai bowed lightly and said "Please, do not let me keep you any long. I wish you all safe travels!"

And so, our heroes left Yamato with their newest addition to their band of wayward heroes, Yayoi. In about 4 hours, they stopped at Alzai Fen, South where a much needed break is in order before continuing on. Ladius went to a lake to practice his swordplay.

(With Ladius)

Ladius swung his sword up and vertical on a rock, it was cleaved in four. He then swings his sword horizontally and leaps up and slams his sword down on a stump, cutting it in half. He panted heavily as he sheathed his sword. He looks at his hand.

'My power is growing rapidly as I train. I must be ready to fulfill my destiny just as my father did. Still, I wonder how Valeria is doing. No doubt looking for me to turn me in to Grugund…' He tighten his fist. Suddenly, he could feel the presence of someone nearby. He remained as he were and waited for the person to show up.

A woman about 20 years of age, wore a white tube tank and a mini skirt. She also wears white gloves and white boots walked up to the lake and looked at the skies in thought, Ladius also notices that she has a blue amulet with green emerald embedded on it around her right arm

Ladius couldn't help but stare at this woman, he could felt a power that slightly stronger from this woman. Suddenly, without a moment too soon, the woman noticed Ladius, she gasped and unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Ladius.

"Wait, I am not your enemy! Lay down your sword." Ladius tried to reassure the woman.

"I seriously doubt it…" The woman said coldly as she charged at Ladius and shouted "Shimmer Spin!" She spins like a tornado with her sword in hand, Ladius was hit by one, but he managed to dodge the rest.

'Damn, she's good! I have to beat her to try to convince her I am not her enemy!' Ladius thought to himself as he unsheathed his sword and shouted "Cross Edge!" Ladius slashed the woman four times with his sword.

The woman clutched her wound which healed instantly thanks to her trinket's power. Ladius deduced that it was another one of Summerill's cursed trinkets. He wonders how many trinkets does Summerill have, maybe thousands of thousands.

"Not bad, but not good enough…" The woman muttered as she shouted "Fireball!" She made a ball of flames appear and bats it with her sword to hit Ladius, he dodged it, but unfortunately, it hit Prinny who was looking for Ladius about dinner.

"Dooooooooddddd!" Prinny wailed as the fireball hit him upon impact, causing an explosion to occur, leaving a charred Prinny who fell down and was knocked unconscious.

"I have to end this battle fast!" Ladius shouted as he clashed with the woman and slashed her five times with his sword. Eventually, their swords were locked.

"If I were to kill you, I would have done so now! I don't mean you any harm! I was curious about that amulet you were wearing! Have you wear it and tried to take it off, but couldn't?!" Ladius shouted through gritted teeth.

The woman thought about it for about 30 seconds before she stopped and muttered "Y-You're right. I'm sorry for jumping the gun…" She bowed in apology.

"No, it was my fault. I should have told you who I am. My name is Ladius von Busser Ragian." Ladius extended his hand to offer a handshake.

"…I think my name is Millia Maxwell… I'm not sure. I woke up with no clues to who I am and found an amulet which a voice told me to put it on, which I put it on my arm and now it won't come off…" Millia sighed as she looked at her amulet.

"You're wearing one of Summerill's trinkets." Ladius frowned.

"Who?" Millia asked as she blinked.

And so, Ladius explained to Millia about the world she's in, the Ragian family's most hated enemy, Summerill and others who are like Millia, only some of them have lost their memories.

"I see… I guess I'm not the only one with amnesia and pulled out of my world." Millia nodded. Then she placed her hands on her hips and smiled by saying "Please, let me help you. It will help make up for attacking you."

"Sure, we can use the extra help." Ladius nodded.

"Oh, one more thing… I'm… not too good with interacting with humans, though I don't know why…" Millia looked away, rather shamefully. Ladius titled his head in confusion.

'Is she even human…?' Ladius shook his head to clear his thoughts. "Let me introduce you to my companions. We're known as Ragian's Army." Ladius lead Millia the way to the camp after scooping up Prinny who is still burnt after Millia's fireball.

Back to Renee and the others, Dita was preparing lunch and Ladius's army and otherworldly companions enjoyed it since some of them knew that Dita is the best cook of her universe.

"Has anyone seen Ladius?" Ellis asked as she gave the soup to a soldier.

"Last time I seen him he said was practicing his swordplay." Takashi said, as he ate his lunch.

"Hmm… He's really determined to fulfill his destiny." Lili scratched her chin in thought.

"And that is worrying me…. Isn't he overworking himself?" Dizzy asked in concern.

"Hey, this is Ladius we're talking about. He has the strength of gods, well sorta." Lloyd reassured everyone.

"What are you talking about? Ladius has what now?" Luke asked, looking up from his meal.

"I said we'll discuss this at another time…" Renee sighed. She spotted Ladius holding a charred Prinny which Etna spotted and forced to chuckled at this and Millia. She eyes the blue amulet Millia is wearing. 'Another one….' Renee thought to herself as she and Ellis ran up to them.

"Ladius, who is this? …Don't tell me, she's wearing one of Summerill's trinkets." Ellis figured. She bowed lightly and introduced herself. "My name is Ellis and this is Renee Roberts. We're Ladius's foster mothers."

Millia was confused by this. "But I thought his last name was Ragian. Is he… an orphan?"

"It's kinda complicated." Ladius chuckled nervously.

"Soon, our heroes entered the Ryulent forest, and unfortunately gotten lost.

"Great, we're lost, again…" IF rubbed her temples in a aggravated tone.

"If the canopy were not so thick, we could use the sun to find our way…" Zerva pointed out as he scratched his chin.

"What now? If we continue like this, we'll run out of supplies." Vert sighed as she used Mai's fan to fan herself.

"What's worse, we may have to return to Yamato…" BC added with arms folded.

"For now, we move forward." Ladius said in a leader's tone.

"No way, we head back to Ya…Whatever it's called." Luke protested.

Just then, a voice said "I have been watching you for some time, and it appears you have lost your way." That voice was kind and caring.

That frighten Luke. "W-What the hell?!" He unsheathed his sword and pointed it randomly. "This place is starting to freak me out! Let's get out of here!"

"Who said that?" Kat asked, looking for the source. A shadowly figure appeared behind Kat.

"I'm right here." The voice said gently. Kat whirred around and saw a man, but it isn't a man, it is more like a plant like humanoid.

"W-What the… Are you friendly?" Kat asked nervously.

"Of course." The man smiled.

That surprised the entire army. "He… He is even larger than Borgnine…" Ellis muttered in astonishment.

"Wait a minute. How the heck did something like that-" Ratchet pointed to the plant man. 'be so hidden in this forest?"

"To hide was not my intent. We are one with the forest. It would be natural that I would seem to be part of my surroundings." The tree man bowed lightly.

Then it hit Ellis like a thunderbolt. "One with the forest? Are you… an ryulent?!"

"So this is one of the fabled tree people that the people of Yamato heard stories of." Tsubasa whispered as she crossed her arms.

The ryulent smiled and corrected Ellis "…Ryulent? I do not-" Then he figured out what Ellis is saying and responded with "Ah. Yes. That is what your people called us. Yes, I am part of the ryulent race."

"Why do we always encounter the weirdoes?" Etna face palmed.

Vira-Lorr looked at the ryulent in awe and commented "I have never seen a ryulent before."

"Nor I an onerthes." The ryulent smiled again, which is starting to creep Tokai and Luke out. He noticed Vira-Lorr's third eye and commented with "How strange that you do not hide your third eye. I had heard the onethes were persecuted and hunted almost to extinction…"

"We have no time for idle banter. If you are a ryulent, then you can show us the way through the forest." Vashtor frowned,

"I am a ryulent, but please, call me Arbol." Arbol told them.

"Arbol, can you help us cross Rizel River into Fensarill? We have to meet with someone there. And we were told you hide a place that the river can be crossed." Renee asked politely.

"Of course. I do indeed know this place." Arbol nodded.

"Then, can you take us there?" Gasconge asked with a gentle tone.

"Of course, I would be happy do to." Arbol smiled. "There is however, one place I must go to before I can take you to the crossing. I see that you are tired, so perhaps you can rest while I go about my business."

"W-We don't have time, but it's likely our pursuers are coming after us." Noire looked away, rather shyly. But hey, this is Noire we're talking about.

"We've no need of rest, and much need of time. We will recuperate later. Lead on, Arbol." Ladius said.

"Very well, follow me." Arbol nodded.

"Great… Now my shoes will get muddy again…" Luke raised his hands up in frustration.

Soon, our heroes rest in the Ryulent forest where a conversation between Ladius and Yayoi took place.

Ladius was walking down the forest until he sees Yayoi preparing something, and she noticed Ladius and with concern in her eyes, she asked him "You must eat something to keep up your strength. Will you not take a moment to rest, Ladius?"

"Perhaps after we have gone a bit further." Ladius suggested.

Yayoi however, look at Ladius with more concern. "I… do not wish to impose, but… Would you like this onigiri I made with leftovers from breakfast?" She held the onigiri up. It was indeed onigiri.

Ladius was surprised by this. "Onigiri, you say? The fabled Onigiri-maru blade? That Onigiri?! How could you eat the Onigiri-maru?!" He stuttered.

Yayoi giggled and corrected him. "No, Ladius, just -ongiri-. Have you heard of them? They are made of rice. We eat them between meals in Yamato."

"Ah, a sort of food, then…" Ladius scratched his chin in thought.

"I thought perhaps something like this would happen, so I have taken the liberty of making you one. You may have it if you like." Yayoi closed her eyes and smiled.

"Then I believe I shall." Ladius smiled as he took a bite out of it.

"Enjoy." Yayoi cheerfully stated.

Ladius finished his meal and complimented with "That was delicious. The flavored leaves were amazing, and the filling was delightful."

Yayoi closed her eyes and smiled and said "I am glad you liked them. I was concerned as I did not have the proper ingredients. Usually, one uses seaweed to wrap the exterior instead of leaves. I had no seaweed, so I marinated edible leaves, dried them and used them instead. They called it imitation cooking- where one uses different to mimic missing ones."

"I have never heard of such a thing…" Ladius then thought of something. "…What did you used for the filling?"

"Normally, onigiri calls for shrimp, but there are none nearby…" Yayoi pointed out as she looked at the river.

"Then you might say you used imitation shrimp. But if leaves could stand in for seaweed, what could stand in for shrimp?" Ladius smiled softly, this is his first time trying onigiri and he loved it. Yayoi is an excellent chef, but there is one person whom he loves most. But still, he wonders what the imitation shrimp may be…

Yayoi placed her pinky on her chin and looked at Ladius with a curious look and asked "Well… What do you think it was?"

Ladius pondered about this for about a minute and with a soft smile, he replied with "I see little point in getting myself worked up now that I have eaten them already, and they were delicious."

Yayoi blushed and said in gratitude "I am glad that you liked it. Perhaps I will make it again sometime."

Ladius nodded with a smile and said "That would be delightful."

Yayoi looked up with a cute smile and mused "Onigiri are wonderful because one can use a variety of fillings. The filling you just ate is delicious, full of nutrients, and can soothe a weary body."

"They are easy to carry, good to eat, and good for the body? What amazing food this onigiri is!" Ladius praised with another of his gentle smiles.

"It was hard work, but hearing you say that makes it all worthwhile. Those insect larva were difficult to find." Yayoi clasped her hands and beamed.

Ladius has a huge sweat bead on his forehead and muttered "Insect… Larave…?"

"There are two kinds. One you find in the ground and the other in tree trunks. The latter tastes better." Yayoi nodded as she added "The ones you just ate are the sort one finds in tree trunks. They both have the same nutritional value, but the ones found on the ground taste like dirt." Yayoi closed her eyes and smiled by saying "I found these insect larvae only today, and they make a perfect shrimp substitute."

Ladius sighed and smiled slightly by saying "I would never have guessed that they were… insect larvae. Ah well. New experiences are good, yes?"

To be continued…

Next chapter: The Ryulent: Part 2 of 2: To Protect Those Dear to You: Defending the Ryulent

A/N: Another long chapter, next chapter will have Asbel Lhant and concluding the Rizel River Arc. See you soon.