Hello everyone, and welcome to chapter 10 of Before KH: Shadows! We've officially reached double-digits, but we've got a long way to go yet!
Creativity: So long... Jeez, we only just wrapped up work on chapter 19, and we've still got what, three more chapters to go? Maybe four the way we've been writing these.
Author: Yes, yes indeed, but when it's done, it's done. Well, at least until New Years by my estimate.
Anyway, nothing to chat about here right now, save that we're still in the market for another beta-reader if anyone's interested! If you are, shoot us a PM and we'll talk about it! Only thing left to cover before starting the chapter is the Discord password: 5RRcGwh
And with that out of the way, allow us to present chapter 10 of Before Kingdom Hearts: Shadows!
Ryo cursed as he ducked under a swooping Hayan and quickly backpedalled away from the swiping claws of an Imp before he lunged forward and destroyed said Imp with a stab to the face. An arrow whistled over his head, destroying the Hayan that he had dodged a moment before. Ryo could see Barkos nocking another arrow as Garren cleaved through an Imp that had been creeping up behind the archer. Veris was sticking close to Garren as well, knife at the ready as she cut and stabbed any monster that strayed to close. She hadn't dared to use magic yet, but Ryo could tell she was trying to prepare a spell.
A loud roar drew Ryo's attention away from his friends and to a large cat monster that was stalking towards him, scratching at the ground and leaving distinct gashes in the stone road as it did so. The creature stood up to about Ryo's mid-thigh at the shoulder, and was similarly skeletal in appearance to the Imps and Hayans. Additionally, the creature had a long, whip-like tail that was almost twice as long as the rest of its body, and ending in a spiked bludgeon.
With a growl and hiss, the cat leapt at Ryo, claws outstretched to strike! However, it was swiftly caught in the face by a fireball that caused it to fumble its pounce and allowing Ryo to finish it off with a stab through the chest! He spun to check his friends, expecting to see a surprised and/or thrilled Veris. Instead, he saw all of them looking in the direction of one of the square's main gates with jaws agape. Following their gaze, Ryo saw what had drawn their eyes; a group of a dozen or so men and women dressed in fine blue robes with gold trim had charged into the fray, armed with staffs, wands and rods, from which they were unleashing a maelstrom of magic!
A group of Imps were blasted to dust by a rain of lightning bolts, a terrific explosion of red and blue flames erased a group of hayans, colossal ice crystals erupted from the ground to impale an assortment of both creatures, and finally a cyclone erupted in the center of the square, rapidly drawing many of the lighter monsters into it before they were pelted by a barraged of all three magics until there wasn't so much as a speck left of them!
Unfortunately, it hadn't finished off all of them, and Ryo was quickly confronted by a small group of imps and those cats. The first to charge in were to imps, but those were swiftly dispatched with a couple swings of his blade. The rest were smarter. Two of the cat monsters began to circle to the left and right, respectively, whipping their tails through the air and occasionally swatting them against the ground with a terrific CRACK! Meanwhile, three imps began advancing from the front, scratching their claws together as they did so.
Purple eyes slid from side to side as Ryo adjusted his guard, trying to keep an eye on all his opponents while waiting for backup that, unfortunately, didn't seem to be coming. As he slowly turned, adjusting his blade as the cats continued to flank him. Suddenly, the cat on the right lashed out with its tail, striking the ground a foot away from him! Ryo's eyes were naturally drawn in that direction, only for the cat on the left to suddenly lunge towards him with a furious roar! Ryo didn't think twice as he hurled himself to the side as the beast's claws narrowly missed him, though he did feel the fabric of his shirt tearing a bit. Scrambling to his feet, Ryo tried to put his sword between himself and the cats, but he was now facing down both rushing monsters. Thinking quickly, he sidestepped and swung his blade upwards, landing a hit on one cat's side and sending it tumbling and screeching across the cobbled road. With the first cat temporarily out of the fight, Ryo quickly rushed forward to stab the second through the eye and turn it to dust.
Next, he turned his attention to the Imps, which were acting uncharacteristically cautious. Ryo bared his teeth as he rushed forward, cutting down the hoard of monsters with newfound ferocity. The Imps didn't have time to react before Ryo's blade cleaved them in two before his focus locked onto another one. Soon, all that was left around him as vanishing gray cloud.
Ryo slowly turned around as his gaze fixed on the last monster; the cat creature he'd wounded earlier was back on its feet and preparing to charge again. He snarled as the monster lunged at him, whipping its tail around in a circle before it charged him, bringing its tail around in a sweep! With a grunt of frustration, Ryo jumped over the strike and cut the tail as it passed under him, drawing a yelp from the beast before Ryo silenced it with a stab between the eyes.
Ryo glared at the monster, his breath heaving and teeth bared as the cat crumbled to ash and drifted away into the wind.
"Hey, Ryo, are you okay?"
Ryo whirled around as he readied his blade again, snarling as his eyes wildly darted about for the source of the noise! Garren, who had been approaching Ryo and called out to him, quickly retreated and tightened his grip on his worn-down axe.
"Easy there, it's just me!" He yelped, retreating a few steps as Ryo kept glaring and readying his sword to strike. Then, it was as if all his strength left him at once. He felt limp and collapsed to one knee, propping himself up on his sword as exhaustion suddenly crushed him.
Garren muttered a few choice curses as he hurried to Ryo's side and helped him up, pulling Ryo's arm over his shoulder.
"What was all that about?" He asked Ryo, who looked really confused.
"I don't know. All I can remember is fighting and… anger… Then I couldn't stand." He replied. He could feel sweat soaking his clothes, but it didn't feel like it was from exertion. Veris and Barkos hurried over to them, concern scrawled across their faces.
"You okay? You had us scared when you started glowing red." Barkos questioned as he began checking Ryo for wounds. Ryo flinched at the question, his heart suddenly hammering in panic before he remembered that Barkos had said he was glowing red. Still concerning, but less so.
"Glowing red? What are you talking about?" He asked hesitantly.
"Not sure. We were pinned down by a group of those stupid masks after we got separated from you. By the time we managed to clear them out and locate you, well… I'd never seen you fight like that before; you had this red glow around you and… That aggression… It didn't feel right, watching you carve them up like that." Veris answered, clearly unnerved as she recounted the events. Ryo shook his head.
"I don't remember any of that…" Ryo muttered.
"Hold!"
The group looked up as loud, sharp voice called to them. Approaching them was a guard with a blue sash with gold trim wrapped diagonally from left shoulder to right hip. They were flanked by two of magicians, one holding a black wooden staff with arcane carvings along its length, and the other holding a silver rode with a sapphire set into the top. None of them looked particularly pleased.
"Identify yourselves." The guard ordered; weapon lowered but nonetheless drawn. Ryo glanced around at his friends. They were all worn out from fighting the monsters and even if they weren't, they didn't stand a chance against one fully trained mage, let alone several.
"My name is Garren. This is Barkos, Veris and Ryo." Garren introduced themselves, keeping a polite, neutral tone despite the obvious tension.
"What's wrong with your friend?" The guard inquired pointedly, gesturing to Ryo with his sword.
"He's just worn out from the fight; Overdid it a bit." Barkos answered brusquely as he carefully eyed the magicians, who had their gazes fixed on Ryo like he was an explosive waiting go off. The guard frowned as he followed the magicians' gaze to Ryo, who had regained enough strength to stand on his own.
"Is that tear fresh?" He asked pointedly.
"Yes, but there's no wound that we can see. No blood at least." Veris replied, trying to play it down. Unfortunately, the effort was all in vain as the magicians slowly raised their weapons and the guard raised his sword to point at the group.
"Children, I'm going to have to ask you to calmly step away and surrender your friend to our custody. Immediately everyone was tense.
"Could we get an explanation why?" Garren countered in the same even tone as before, even if his hand was hovering dangerously close to his axe.
"He's afflicted with Wrath; a curse spread by wound by the monsters who attacked us before. Until it wears off, he will be violent and dangerous." One of the mages explained in a calm voice. However, Ryo could also hear tension in it.
"The red glow?" Veris wondered quietly before quickly lifting her knife as the soldier suddenly tensed. The other mage stepped forward and tapped their staff firmly on the ground, immediately drawing everyone's attention.
"Now, let's all of us calm down." She suggested in a firm voice before turning to the soldier. "Captain, I'm not so sure that the boy is afflicted. He's barely able to hold himself up as it is, and the aura is absent as well."
"The girl's comments suggest he was afflicted at some point in the battle. I'm not risking a berserker running amok in Radiant Garden." The captain replied, unconvinced by the mage's argument.
"He doesn't look afflicted now though. In fact, he looks ill to me." The first mage pointed out.
"That doesn't disprove that he was previously afflicted." The second countered before pausing in consideration. "That having been said, the signs of an active curse are indeed absent. Perhaps this boy was able to fight it off, or otherwise ran the course of the affliction."
"Or he is still afflicted, but is falling ill instead of going mad." The captain countered, unwilling to be swayed. The staff-wielding mage just huffed in exasperation.
"Which still fails to change that this situation is unprecedented. If the boy is ill and dies in quarantine, what do you think the king and queen will have to say?" they hissed to the guard, who looked afraid for a moment before huffing in resignation.
"Very well. We'll request that they decide his fate. However, if they find this to be a waste of time, you two are taking full responsibility as members in the Magician's Court." He growled before he turned to the group, who had been anxiously listening to conversation.
"You will all surrender your weapons, and your friend will consent to be restrained via enchantment. You have my word as a Captain of Radiant Garden's Royal Guard that you will be treated fairly while we decide how to proceed with your friend's… condition." The captain declared. The group glanced around at each other before Ryo sighed.
"Do what he says." He groaned out as he exhaustedly sheathed his sword and held it out for it to be taken. The others reluctantly followed suit and Ryo braced himself as the rod-wielding mage aimed their weapon at him. After a few moments, blue energy strands burst from the rod and wrapped themselves around his wrists, forming glowing blue shackles.
"If you act out of turn, I will immobilize you with these bonds. Do you understand?" The mage warned. Ryo nodded. He didn't know precisely what immobilize meant in this case, but he imagined it would be rather unpleasant; electrocution probably.
"Now then, follow us." The captain ordered before turning to a group of soldiers that were sweeping the square. "You six, with us! We are escorting these people to the castle!" The captain barked! The soldiers quickly rushed to join them, taking up positions in the front and back of the group, with two of them next to Ryo. Those last two looked particularly displeased with their placement, but the mages were insistent that Ryo needed the extra security and possible support if he was unable to make the journey on his own feet. From there, they marched.
It was a long march to the castle, made longer by the fact that the mages were right in that Ryo didn't have the strength to make it on his own. They were forced to slow down and have the soldiers next to him hold Ryo up on their way. To their credit, the soldiers conducted themselves professionally, despite their obvious discomfort. They weren't forceful or hostile in their role, and they never once dropped him. The road was long, and they got more than a few suspicious and hostile looks along the way, but it was without incident as they finally reached the castle and were admitted inside.
"Bring the boy to a secure holding cell. His friends can stay in one of the waiting rooms, though they are to be monitored at all times; either by guards on both sides of the door, or one of the Court Magicians." The captain ordered once the doors were closed. The soldiers saluted and immediately began helping Ryo through the castle. Under normal circumstances, he would have been trying to mentally map the route he was being taken on, in case of an emergency. At the very least, he would have been taking in the splendor of the castle. Unfortunately, he was incapable of doing either. By this point, Ryo's vision was getting hazy and his mind was no better. His eyelids were growing heavier by the second and all he wanted to do now was let them close and drift off to sleep.
Ryo wasn't sure how much time had passed before he suddenly felt himself laying down. It wasn't exactly gentle, but it wasn't forceful either. That, or he was too far gone to notice. All he cared about was that he wasn't on his feet anymore, and could instead let go and drift off into the warm embrace of slumber.
"Do you ever wonder… Wonder what it would be like if everything we knew… was wrong?"
Ryo's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. Unfortunately, he'd moved too quickly from rest and he let out a groan as a headrush came on. Those words… It had all started with those damn words.
"Just great…" He muttered to himself as he pressed a hand to his temples. Fortunately, it didn't last long and he was able to take stock of his surroundings.
He was definitely imprisoned, but it didn't seem like a cell; It was too comfortable for that. Still, that just confused him. Who had a nice, comfortable jail?
"Milady, he has awoken…"
Ryo's head spun to a voice that was whispering outside the bars of his cell. He could see a bit of deep blue robe with gold trim off to the side, almost out of view.
"Court magician…" Ryo recalled as he watched the robes shift back a bit before someone else stepped into view. It was a woman; tall and regal, with black hair done in intricate braids and upon which sat a gold diadem with a diamond set in the center. She wore a fine, silk gown of white and black with gold trim, a purple cape that covered her arms, under which was a blue mantle with gold trim; identical to the Court Magicians' robes.
"Many thanks, Lucia. I'll handle it from here." The woman replied. The magician bowed deeply before retreating out of the room, indicated by a heavy, metal door being shut. Ryo turned his attention back to the woman, who gestured to the side with one hand. There was a sound of wood scraping against stone before a padded wooden chair slid into view. After it ceased its movement, the woman took a seat in front of Ryo's cell and eyed him carefully. Ryo was immediately wary of the woman. Aside from her demonstration of magical ability, her stare unnerved him; like he was some exotic creature she'd chanced upon for study.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Arryn Soloro Riehn, and I am Queen of Radiant Garden." The woman introduced herself. Ryo's back straightened almost unconsciously. What in the Springs was the Queen of radiant garden doing here?!
The queen seemed to be amused by his reaction, given the faint twitch of her lips before any such emotions were masked behind a visage of regal authority as she continued.
"Your name is Ryo, correct? I believe we are due for conversation about who you are… young magician."
And that's where we're ending it! Man, guy can't catch a break, can he?
Creativity: Because we don't give him one...
Author: Exactly, and I love it.
So, where to start... we're closing in on one of the more major changes I've made to the original story. No spoilers, obviously, but since I was cutting all the Sora stuff out of the story, I needed to establish some of this stuff in what were originally Ryo's sections of the story. That, and expand a little on where things were going for him as a character. You'll see what I mean in a few weeks.
Creativity: Yeah, it is a pretty big departure from what we did last time. Honestly, my question is whether or not we're just going to do a brand new story or keep it all to one when we do finish this set.
Author: I'm leaning towards the latter, but we'll think about it.
Alright, not much else to say, so I think we'll end it here! Thank you for reading, please review, hope to see you on Discord, and we'll see you next time!