Ten Years Later...

 

Chapter One:

 

 

The Adventure Begins. . .

"Come on, sir." Bow planted his hands firmly on the green felt-covered desk in the guildmaster’s office. He stood up a little to lean in towards the Master ranger. "You must have some work for us. We’re full fledged rangers now. Right Ryu?"

He turned to his fellow accomplice in life. Ryu sat there, leaning back in his chair, one foot on the edge of the guildmaster’s desk, polishing the blade of his sword. He stopped polishing, looked up and nodded. "Yep. That we are."

The two had been friends for many years now, and they could almost tell each others every move and thought. Where Bow was a stocky, heavy-boned dog-man with large, puppy-dog eyes and a spot of brown fur over the left eye, Ryu was fully human. Ryu was was eightteen, with dark blue-black hair, long in the back, but short in the front and sides, it was almost waist-length. He had tied the long part together with a length of cord, to keep it from flying. Ryu had what could be called a handsome face, and was fairly athletic, but was content to be inactive.

"Well," The guildmaster said. "I do have a job for you, if you want it."

"Of course we want it!" Bow drew back to his full 5'4" height. The guildmaster reached into a drawer in his desk.

"Here," The old man said, tossing a rolled up scroll to Bow, who caught and began to unfurl it with expectation. Ryu finished shining his sword, spun it once, and dropped it back into the sheath over his left shoulder; being a lefty, he merely had to reach back to take it. He stood up and was trying to see past Bow’s bulk as he read the letter.

"It’s not much," the elder was explaining. "But it’s a job."

"'Locate and return a lost pet by the name of Suzy’?" Bow expression darkened and he tossed the scroll back over his shoulder to Ryu, who fumbled it a little before reading it himself. "What the hell is this?!? We need a bigger job than pet retrieval!"

"You mean, you won’t accept this job?" The guildowner asked disappointedly.

Bow threw his arms in the air. "No shit we won’t take it! Pet retrieval!?! That’s pathetic! What kind of moronic, irresponsible, idiot can’t even take care of their. . ."

He was interrupted by a quiet ahem, from the door of the office. All three men turned to see a beautiful young girl with white-gold wings enter the room. Ryu’s hand went limp, and dropped the scroll.

". . . Mina. . ." Both Ryu and Bow breathed shallowly. Both of them knew her quite well; in fact, they had both tried to get a date with the young, blue-haired nymph. Ryu had never gotten one, and had given up after about the fifth try, but Bow continued to bother her, and ended up dragging Ryu into the fray. Now they stood slack-jawed and trying not to stare as the lovely young Windian sashayed between them, looking them over.

She turned to the old man with an odd look on her face. "Are these the men that will find my little Suzy?"

The elder shook his bald head. "I don’t think so. They don’t appear to want the job. . ."

"Hey!" Bow stopped him. "We never said we wouldn’t take the job, right Ryu?"

Ryu stepped up on Mina’s left side. "That’s right. We never said that."

He looked Mina in the eye and winked. "We will find Suzy and bring her back for you, young miss."

"Oh, thank you Ryu," She practically sang in that melodious voice of hers. She hugged Ryu first, then Bow. "and you too, Bow. I’ll be waiting at the Sundance Hotel for the next few days, so contact me when you catch Suzy."

With that, she walked quickly out, leaving Ryu and Bow to lean in and watch her retreating derriere. When she had disappeared from view, their gazes slowly came together, and they nodded.

"First person to catch Suzy and returns her, gets a try at getting a date with Mina." Bow said.

"You’re on."

"Deal?"

"Done."

"Are you through yet?" The elder asked tiredly, arching a feathered eyebrow at both of them. He fiddled with the papers on his desk, searching for a particular sheet. Upon finding it, he read out the reward. "You will each receive five-hundred gold coins. Each."

"Sweet!" The two youths shouted, slapping palms in a high-five. They ran out the door, Ryu in the lead. At the last instant, Bow turned around.

"Uh, sir? What kind of pet is Suzy anyway?"

"I don’t know, but you’ll be able to recognize her by the diamond-studded collar that says ‘Suzy’ on it."

"Oh, right." Bow left thinking, How the HELL am I going to recognize Suzy when I find her?!?

***

Before they could leave town, all rangers must sign out, indicating why they were gone, and a rough estimate of the time they would be back. Today, at the desk, Sylvia was in charge of signing people out. She was a nice girl, the same height as Bow, but human, with strawberry-blonde hair, and general shy quietness that was attractive. She looked up from her book and smiled at Ryu and Bow as they strutted up to the counter.

"Hiya boys," She greeted them. "Goin’ home early today?"

Bow leaned back on the edge and thumbed at Ryu and himself and drawled. "Nope. We’s is got one’a them job thangs."

"Really?" Sylvia jumped up and down in excitement. "He let you take on a mission? What kind of mission? Destroy a horrid monster? Save a starving town? What?"

"Find and return a lost little pet." Ryu sighed. He unsheathed his sword and ran a finger along the edge. "Guess I won’t be using this baby, right babe?"

"Oh," Sylvia’s smile collapsed. She shrugged. "Well, it’s better than nothing. Some people come here to hire rangers for odd jobs. Real odd ones."

"Like what?" Ryu asked, putting the blade away and leaning in closer to her.

"Like that." She pointed over his shoulder to a woman near the stairs to the surface. Both men turned slightly to glance casually in that direction.

"What’s so odd about her?"

Sylvia picked up a nail file from the counter and began filing her nails. "That woman over there just hired Powell to come clean her house. For two weeks."

"You mean we rangers are just rentable slaves? For people to assign menial tasks to? This was supposed to be a glorious job, not a servant’s occupation!" Bow seethed. Ryu put a forceful hand on his shoulder to calm him down.

"It’s all right Bow. It’s not like we’re going to be given any jobs like that." Ryu reasoned. "And besides, even if we do, we don’t have to accept it."

"Oh, by the way," Sylvia added as two men walked away. "Mina left a message for you two. She said that Suzy likes wandering around, and may be far away. Who’s Suzy?"

"Just a pet we gotta find." Ryu replied, as he and Bow walked up the stairs and into the daylight.

***

Back on the surface, it was a beautiful day; birds were singing in the trees, the sun was shining, children’s laughter echoed out of yards, and Bow and Ryu had a job. Turning a corner, Ryu turned to Bow.

"So. . . when do you want to start looking?" Bow shrugged and continued walking.

"Let’s just get our gear and start right now." He replied. They reached their apartment complex and walked in. It was a small building, with only four rooms; two on the upper level, and two on the lower, one of which the land lady occupied.

They were almost half way up the stairs leading to their apartment, when she caught up with them.

"Ryu! Bow!" She almost shrilled. "You still haven’t paid your rent, and its been almost a month!"

She put her hands on her hips and glowered at them. "When are you going to pay?!?"

Ryu put his hands up in an I-surrender fashion. "We’ll pay the rent when we get paid, which should be soon, all right? Business has been a little slow lately."

The angry woman shook a finger at them. "You’d better, or you’ll be sleeping out in the bush come the rainy season! You and your wild parties too!"

They waited till she’d stomped out of sight before anyone spoke.

"Geez!" Bow whispered. "She was pissed off!"

"Yeah, but, what wild parties?" Ryu wondered out loud. "You know that the only parties we go to are on the other end of town. So what was she talking about?"

"I don’t know." Bow replied, walking up the stairs.

The stairs were at the end of the L-shaped wing, so the two teens were rounding the corner, a small child nearly running into Ryu’s legs, full throttle.

"Whoa, little guy!" Ryu helped the kid to his feet. "Where’s the fire?"

The kid looked up, frowning. “I got nothin’ ta do, ‘cuz my mama sleeps all day, and I can’t go anywhere without her.”

“Well, just be careful where you’re running.” Bow warned him. He added after a moment. “Say, kid. Do you know of anyone having parties around here?”

The kid shook is head and ran off down the stairs. Ryu unlocked the door to their apartment, and they went in. The apartment was small for two people, but they made good with it. Two beds, a small kitchen in the corner, and a few other pieces of furniture were all they had nad needed. Going to their respective beds, both rangers pulled a small box out from under each bed, containing their equiptment.

From Ryu’s box, he removed a pair of iron knee guards, a belt with many pockets of many sizes, a pair of brown leather gauntlets, and a partial chestplate made out of hardened leather. He slipped the gloves on, clipped the knee guards over his own, and attached the chestplate at the point at which his sheath’s belt met up with itself.

In Bow’s box, a wooden crossbow with a small quiver of arrows, elbow pads, and section of armour similar to Ryu’s own, sat. He slung the crossbow over his shoulder, snapped the chest piece on to hardpoints on his clothes, and clicked the elbow pads on.

When they were done, they nodded to each other, and left. Now they were ready for anything.

***

It was going to be a few days journey, round the end of the northern penninsula, and crossing the mountain range between the mainland and the southern penninsula, so Ryu and Bow made sure they had enough food and water with them before they left. On their way to the main gateway of town, they were stopped as a young couple passed in front of them.

“Oh, Memeko, my darling,” The young man was professing to his love. “I love you more than life itself!. . .”

The whole time, though standing near him, it appeared the young brunette was not that focused in her attention. She was continually looking away, and not looking at him at all. She didn’t even blush when he dropped to one knee to display his devotion to her.

Ryu merely shook his head sadly, before Bow pulled him by his harness out the gate.

“Poor guy,” He mused softly. “Wonder how long its gonna take before he realizes she doesn’t care about him.”

***

As suspected, the trip across the penninsular plains was long and ardurous. Many a time, Ryu and Bow had to stop during the day and rest up under a tree, or bathe in a watering hole. A few times, they passed by the ruins of a previous, ancient, more advanced civilization. Broken pavement, and some dismantled motor vehicles dotted the landscape, reminders of a better time.

Then, from the path behind them, they heard a gurgling, shlup-shlupping noise. Spinning around, they quickly scanned the under growth.

Nothing.

They relaxed a little and returned to walking: That’s when the attack came.

From the side, back, and from above, a sharp, angry squeal filled the air, followed by sudden movement on all sides. Out of the forest rushed about half a dozen Green Sludges, jelly-like creatures with gold eyes and a taste for human flesh, though they had no real mouths. One Sludge leaped off the ground and tackled Ryu from behind, knocking him down and pinning him with its small, but dense mass. Another had attacked his right arm, enveloped the forearm, and was trying to absorb it, burning into his flesh with a weak but painful acid it exuded while digesting. He cried out in pain and swung his arm in an attempt to toss it off, but to no avail.

Bow was doing just as badly, with the other four Sludges attacking various parts of his body. He flailed around like a man possessed, hitting trees and rolling around in the dirt yelling.

Ryu managed to get his left hand back and pulled his sword out of its sheath. Rolling over, he raised his right arm up and swung the blade, careful not to hit his arm. Cleanly, he cleaved the only truly solid part out of the Sludge, who squealed and pain and dropped off; the vulnerable eyes flew through the air and connected with a tree, splattering it green and gold.

The Sludge was doing just as bad as the part that was removed from it. With both eyes taken out, it died immediately, going from jello to water when it hit the ground. Ryu realized the monster’s weakness and called out to the thrashing Bow.

“Bow!” He yelled. “Their eyes! Take out their eyes!”

He grabbed his sword with both hands and plunged it straight back over his head, a squeal telling him he was on target. Ryu felt the Sludge suddenly grow light, and at the same time felt his shirt get soaked like a bucket of grimy water had been dropped on him.

He dashed over to Bow and swung his sword with both hands, clipping the eyes off of two of the four remaining Sludges. Bow popped up to one knee, grabbing the one on his chest and threw it off him, the monster bouncing down the path a little.

Bow unshucked his crossbow, took quick aim, and fired. The steel bolt flew straight and true, ripping through the shiny, green creature’s left eye. It squealed, then collapsed in on itself.

The fourth and final Sludge had been thrown off earlier, and had watched as its bretheren had been slaughtered. It yipped once in fear and shot off into the bushes.

Ryu helped Bow up to his feet. “You all right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” He laughed. “It’s not every day you’re attacked by a dessert food.”

He looked over at the puddles of green goo and water that was the other Sludges remains. “You figure that’s going to happen again? Another ambush later?”

“I dunno.” Ryu shook his head. “But let’s not stick around to find out.”

They continued in silence till they reached the foot of Mount Fubi.

***

Mount Fubi was the largest mountain in the northern continent, and one of the few remaining from before most of the range sunk beneath the surface of the ocean. Some terrible natural or man-made calamity had pulled the ancient range almost entirely underwater.

All that was of no concern to Ryu and Bow though. Their only thoughts were how are we gonna climb over this thing! Unfortunately, there was only one safe pass through the range, and it wound up and through the Matterhorne-like mountain. That pass was also the one where, a few weeks earlier, someone had reported man-eating monsters stalking the trail. What the monsters were, and why they chose that spot as their hunting ground,was still a mystery.

Bow looked at the foreboding, gray mountain. “Aw, crap! You mean I gotta climb that?”

Ryu had started up the trail, and now stopped and looked back. “You mean we have to climb it, and yes, we do.”

They slowly trudged up the barren mountain trail. At one point, Bow nearly lost his footing, and would have fallen off the trail’s steep drop, had not Ryu grabbed him by his crossbow harness and shirt.

“Thanks, man.”

“No prob.”

“Psst! It’s back again. . .”

Bow stopped. What the hell?

“Hey, Ryu!” He called ahead. “Did you say something?"

Now Ryu stopped. He cupped his hands to his mouth and called back. “No, why?”

“Thought I heard something. . .” Bow shrugged and caught up to him.

At about half way up the mountain, the path ended, suddenly dropping off into a chasm. Gazing down into the gaping wound in the land, Bow threw his arms up in frustration.

“Now what the hell do we do?” About then he noticed Ryu was no longer with him. Back tracking a few steps, he found Ryu trying to squeeze through a crevice in the mountian wall. “What the f...”

Ryu stopped squirming and tossed something out of the crack. The thin steel plate with the words Obe[ ][ ]k. were printed in bold, orange letters, cracked and chipping with age.

“Found that inside. There’s a carved tunnel in here.” Ryu grunted, pulling himself out of the rock. “We need to move that rock.”

“Nah, we can probably fit through that. I mean, you did right? That pretty much means I can.”

“But your so. . .” Ryu indicated Bow’s somewhat rubbery midsection.

“HEY! We wear the same size clothes, remember? Now, just push me through.” Bow moved up to the slim hole in the stone, and sucked in his gut. He slid halfway in before getting stuck.

“Give me a push, man. It’s (wheeze) getting a bit hard to breathe in here!”

“Would it really kill you to exercise once in a while?” Ryu sighed. He backed up and ran full speed into the prone Dog Clanner, shoulder first. With an audible pop, they were suddenly sprawled on the floor inside the tunnel. It was hardly lit, other than the patches of phosphorescent mildew and very sparce, low-burning torches someone had thought to leave when they passed by earlier.

Brushing himself off, Ryu stood up and plucked one torch from the wall, followed closely by Bow. The inky blackness disappeared as they went foreward, appearing behind them to fill the void.

“Wow,” Bow commented, squinting into the black emptiness. “Just like old times, eh Ryu ?”

“Yeah, just like old times.” Old memories, sad ones, terrifying ones, floated to the surface of Ryu’s mind. He did his best to push them aside.

A minute later, they were standing at the base of a small pool in a slightly higher outcropping of stone, with clear blue water flowing from a lion-headed spout in the wall. The water was back lit by some strange, glowing rocks imbedded in an intricate design in the floor of the pool.

“What is it?” Ryu asked Bow. Both had their eyes locked on the scintillating, dancing lights.

“I. . . don’t know. . .” Bow whispered. “Never saw anything like it before. Looks like a spring or something."

Ryu knelt down, and swirled the water with one finger. “I wonder if it is safe to drink?”

“Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t, but I really need a drink.” Bow pushed Ryu aside and shoved his face in the water, drinking heavily. The sound of his gulps echoed through the dark, silent passageways. When he finished, he made a dramatic perfomance of wiping his mouth on his tunic sleeve, and going, “Ahhh. . .”

“Finished, already?” Ryu asked sarcastically. He leaned into the pool and cupped a bit of water in his hands to his mouth. “I thought you’d drain it.”

Bow shrugged. “I’m a growing teen. I need my liquids.”

“The hell you talking about? You were soaking it up like a sponge! You were only drinking cuz you tired yourself out climbing up here. Man, you really gotta get in shape. . .”

“Aww, screw you. I’m in tip-top shape.” Bow shot back, puffing up like a balloon. Then an odd look came over his features. “Uh, dude? . . .I feel kind of funny. . .”

“Yeah,. . .” Ryu said, standing up. He felt the same, like something was amiss. “Me too. . .”

A cool, icy wind feeling swept through the both of them. When it passed, they felt rejuvinated, as if their recent fight with the Sludge brood hadn’t even tired them.

“Wow! I feel great!” Bow exclaimed, standing up and stretching his arms. Ryu went through a complete stretching warm-up before replying.

“Me, too! That water is awesome! Let’s remember where this spot is.”

Bow nodded. If they were headed back this way some time in the future, it might prove beneficial to have a place to rest and regain their strength. Ryu picked up the torch and walked slightly to the right of the pool, to where the stone faded away.

“Hey, the passage continues over here! Maybe this leads out the other side of the mountain?” He walked out of sight, leaving Bow to stand in the darkness alone.

“Wait for me!” Bow called, grabbing his crossbow in the dim light and running after the receding flame.

The passage led to a set of stairs that went up a good twenty feet. That would take them above the break on the outside pathway, and might offer them a way to get to the other side of the crevasse. They rushed up the stairs, roughly cut from the granite of the mountain, and followed the passage as it got lighter and lighter inside. Eventually, they emerged into the light, only to be blinded. Ryu was the first one out, and the first one to hear the voices above him.

“Lucky, its handsome!”

“Fine, you can have some too!”

“What about me?!?”

“Less talk, more action!”

After his eyes adjusted, Ryu looked up to see three winged forms about fifty feet up the mountain slope. And they were descending fast.

“Look out!” he called to Bow, who was still blinded from the brightness. He whipped his sword off his back and ducked, as the creatures soared down, merely splashes of pink and purple to his mind.

Soaring back up, the splashes of colour soon refined themselves to be three Sirens. With the torso and face of a human girl, but the feet of an eagle and wings instead of arms, Sirens were known predators of the region. It’s just that Ryu and Bow had never faced any before.

“I get the handsome one, so you two can have the other one!” One called out, diving at Ryu.

The second one uttered a cry of anger, and whined. “You always get the better one, Puna!”

She too, dove at Ryu. The third one raced after the first two, shrieking, “Pooty want the handsome one!”

Pooty passed by the second one, and knocked Puna out of the way, sending her into a tailspin. Puna crashed head long into the path ahead of Bow, who had just regained his vision.

Pooty swooped in, and her talons clashed with Ryu’s sword, both too dull to damage the other, but deadly enough to kill. Eventually, Pooty lifted away, no prize in claws, as Puna recollected herself before Bow could off her.

“Meanie!” The second one clawed at Pooty’s back. The two fell out of the sky and down the canyon fighting the whole time. Their screams and shrieks of rage turned to fear as the they fell onto the jagged stones.

“Pooty! Peach!” Puna cried, hovering only ten feet above her would-be prey. She was too distraught to notice Bow load his crossbow and take careful aim. Then she gasped in shock at the pain as the steel bolt shot between her shoulderblades, and she fell peacefully out of the sky.

***

They left the mountain range shortly there after, but not before accidentally starting a landslide that blocked the tunnel’s lower opening, but filled the gap in the pathway. That was only a little compensation. They had lost a valuable source of water, but gained easier access to the pass.

It was nearing sundown, and, while walking through the forest calling Suzy’s name, the failing light struck something in the distance just right, as to attract Ryu’s attention.

“Hey, I think there’s a house over there!” He pointed off to the side, somewhere between the trees. He started off in that direction.

Bow shook his head and loaded his crossbow before following him. “I don’t like this, Ryu.”

Ryu turned around and saw Bow’s weapon out. Realizing he was right, Ryu took out his sword and cleaned Sludge residue off it. They both knew that this penninsula, beyond Mount Fubi, was the territory of Gongheads, relatives to the forest-dwelling Beaks.

Gongheads, like Beaks, were spiky balls that had a bird-like beak and eyes. Generally blue in colour, they very rarely travelled alone. Where one was, there were more around, somewhere. Gongheads were more aggressive, and tougher than their tree-loving cousins the Beaks. Their skin was thicker, their spikes were bigger, and they outweighed the Beaks by nearly two hundred pounds, putting them at an average of three hundred and fifty pounds.

At almost nightfall, they reached the house, which actually turned out to be the ruins of an ancient town, perhaps abandoned for years, or longer. Many buildings had fallen apart, and some, there wasn’t anything left. Walking through the torn up and decaying streets, it was almost as if they had walked into the past.

“What is this place?” Bow asked in awe, marvelling at the superb marble architechture. HE stopped to climb up a strange tower, only to fall back when some stone gave way. “Hey, that thing’s some kinda light post, or torch post or something.”

He looked at the strange object he’d plucked from under its top. It was rounded, with a metal-swirled lower end, like it was to be screwed into a socket. It had once been clean and clear, but now time and the elements had dirtied and blackened it.

“Lookit this thingie. What is it?” He handed it to Ryu, who wavered on his feet for a second, as though dizzy. He closed his eyes and spoke.

“It’s a. . . Light bulb. . .” He shook his head and blinked, eyes wide. “Where did I come up with that?!”

Bow was giving him an odd look. “I dunno, but you’re really creeping me out.”

Ryu tossed the dead bulb aside before they continued on. “Let’s get in and out of here as fast as possible. I don’t feel right in here.”

They spent a good hour or two in the dimming sunlight calling Suzy, to no avail. That’s when they heard the cries for help.

“Which way is it?!?” Ryu searched desperately. Both of them circled around, trying to get a bearing on the distressed person. “Where are they?!?”

Bow stopped, closed his eyes and sniffed the air. Then he pointed towards the northern building. It was a relatively small building, with the upper floors destroyed and gone. About the only thing left was the front room and the lower half of the upper floor.

“There!” Bow yelled, and they ran towards the door.

On the way, Ryu smiled. “Your incredibly sensitive nose sniffs again! What’d ya smell this time?”

“Boiling water and bad body odour. Who ever it is, they haven’t taken a bath lately.”

They dashed into the front room of the ruined building, weapons drawn, its fallen and broken exterior not hiding it’s beautiful architecture. Inside, part of the roof had fallen in and crushed the stairwell leading to the upstairs floors, while the floor was littered with garbage, both ancient and recent. In the back corner was an old man, clad in ragged cloaks, trying to fend off something with a beat-up saucepan. He looked up with manic eyes. “Help me! Please!” He proceeded to bash the pan in random directions on the floor.

Curious, the two warriors shouldered their weapons, and rounded the table that seperated them from the old man. Ryu drew back in disgust and Bow’s lip pulled back a bit; Disgusting, pulsating, quick moving, enormous cockroaches!

There were about six or seven of them, each one over ten inches long, by far the largest cockroaches they’d ever seen. On the floor directly in front of them, were the remains of three that had been crushed by the old man. Apparently, they were closing in, and the old man’s defense sphere was getting smaller and smaller. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself for much longer.

Ryu stepped forward and planted one heel down on the nearest roach. It squished loudly, and oozed a pale green gel from under the boot. All the other roaches suddenly stopped attacking the geriatric man, and turned to face the two younger men.

“That’s right.” Bow smirked, unloading a bolt directly into the bug near him. It squealed once, scrabbled to get away, then went still on the steel rod. “The exterminators are here.”

He barely got that out when a roach shot up the table leg and launched itself at him. The bug’s chitinous jaws bit into his forearm, illiciting a cry of pain from him.

At the same time, Ryu was attacked by three other bugs. One ran up the leg of his pants, and tried to bite his leg, while another made it to the ceiling before dropping on his head, and yet another climbed the wall to jump and attack his shoulder.

This time it was Ryu’s turn to fall to the floor and flail wildly, while Bow dealt with the bug on his arm. He yanked it off and threw it against the wall stunning it. In the same movement, he swung his crossbow up and skewered it as it began to drop. It practically exploded.

Ryu managed to toss all three roaches off him, insects flying in all directions. All in a rush, he had his sword out, and all three suddenly split into halves, splattering bug guts all over the floor and wall around him.

Bow frowned, nursing his bitten arm. “That was unneccessarily gross. Couldn’t you have dealt with them in any other way?”

Ryu merely grinned proudly. He then turned to the old man. “Are you all right?”

The man stepped carefully around the insect parts, only to see something and sprint back to the corner with a cry. Bow and Ryu turned around to find themselves on the menu for the largest roach ever. This one was bigger than the others! It had to be over a foot long and weigh about forty pounds! It’s black eyes glistened as a low, angry growl came from its maw.

“Holy Hell.” Bow breathed, taking a step back. The roach caught his movement and charged towards him. He barely jumped out of the way, the huge bug’s jaws biting clear through one leg of the table. It stopped and wheeled around, too heavy to climb walls like its brothers.

This time, Ryu had to dodge as it shot towards him. He sidestepped it, sending it into the cold fireplace. The critter growled in anger and pain as it turned around again.

The only difference was, Ryu and Bow were ready for it. Bow cut loose another bolt, while Ryu threw his sword at it. Both sword and iron spike hit the insect, dicing its carapaced head into green-splattered bug chunks. It howled once, trying to rise up, but collapsed with a sigh, the puddle beneath it suddenly growing.

“Now THAT was a big bug.” Ryu commented. He braced one foot on the body of the bug and yanked his sword free. Then he tossed Bow his crossbow bolt.

“First time I’ve ever had to fight for my food.” Came a voice from behind them. The old man stepped up between them. “That was very terrifying. If you hadn’t got here when you did, I would have been eaten, along with my dinner!”

He reached down and plucked a small, pink animal up from its hiding place around his feet. The pig oinked in fear, and quickly searched the room with its eyes. Content that all the things that could hurt it were gone, it oinked again, happily, and relaxed.

“My name is Nero,” The old man explained, “And I’ve only been here a few days when I ran out of food. Then this little delicacy shows up, and then I’m attacked by giant roaches! I owe you two something, so I’ll share this pig with you.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, old man,” Bow thanked him. “But we’re looking for a pet, actually. Something called Suzy.”

That soured Nero’s gracious mood. “Are you insinuating I ate a dog or a cat?!?” I’d never sink that low. Now, you won’t get any of it.”

Ryu and Bow had turned to leave, when Bow heard Nero say, “Now let’s get you in the pot, right after I get rid of that bothersome collar.”

That caught Bow’s attention. No, couldn’t be. . . He thought. He turned around just as Nero tossed the collar towards the door. He caught it in mid-air and looked at it. With a sinking feeling in his stomach, he read the inscription in the diamond-studded collar. SUZY.

“Nooooo!!!” Bow cried, tossing the collar over his shoulder and rushing back into the room. Nero looked up in surprise as he closed the lid on the pot.

“What’s the matter, son?”

“THAT’S SUZY!” Ryu had followed Bow in, and suddenly yanked lid off the pot and pulled the unconscious pig from it.

***

A tense half hour later, the pig named Suzy stirred and oinked weakly. Its skin had gone from a blazing reddish to a pale pink over the past thirty minutes. Bow was kneeling by it to make sure his bounty was still alive.

“So why did you want it?” Nero was asking. “Someone else’s dinner got away?”

Bow glared up at him. “ No. She’s a pet of a friend. We’re supposed to take her in.”

“But what am I going to eat?” Niro whined, gripping his stomach. He looked at the pig hungrily, licking his lips. “Can’t I just take a bite of the leg?”

“NO!” Bow cried, snatching the pig away. He opened his pouch, which hung from his shoulder, and put Suzy in it. Luckily, the pig was small enough that it fit in the leather bag. Only its ears and snout poked out.

“Let’s go, Bow.” Ryu called from the door.

***

The path back over the Mt. Fubi had been easier than the way through it, as the landside had caused the deep gorge to fill up. The chasm that had made them originally go through the mountain and accidently cause the landslide that filled it, was gone, and a straight, though rubble-strewn path had been exposed. As they were passing by a cave in the mountainside, one they had seen on the way in, they heard a yell from inside.

“Hail! Rangers! How goes the journey?” Came from the dark cave. The two warriors looked at each other, shrugged, and Ryu answered for them.

“Hail! The trip goes well. May I ask who enquires?”

A bearded and mustachioed man in a camo green suit, sporting a very large crossbow, perhaps a gastrifitis, and a broadsword emerged from the cave. “My name is Azusa. I was hunting a rare wild beast, and ended up in this cave. I suspect my prey has eluded me yet again. What are you hunting, warriors?”

Bow indicated the pig sticking its head out of his pouch. “The lost pet of a client. And you?”

The tall hunter puffed himself up, hands on hips, a pillar of strength. “A mystical monster. One known as the Kimaera. It looks like a lion with a goat’s head next to the lion head, a serpent for a tail, and large bat-like wings. From what I understand, it is the only creature in the world I haven’t killed at least one of. And one of the few monsters that is rumoured to be invincible. To have the head of such a beast mounted on your wall would earn you great respect where I come from.”

“Then we wish you the best of luck, Azusa.” Ryu nodded. “We have to deliver this animal to its owner and receive our bounty. If we ever spot the beast of which you speak, we will be sure to inform you of its whereabouts. Good Hunting.”

“I thank you for your good wishes, and wish you luck in all your missions. To be a ranger is an honour and a privilege few ever receive. Farewell.”

With that, the hunter dashed off down the mountainside, the way Bow and Ryu had just come from. In the distance, like a roll of distant thunder, a terrible roar sounded.

***

Because of the new mountain path, the trip was cut by hours. After stopping to sleep for a few hours, they eventually made it back to town. It was late afternoon when they got back to the guild. Mina was already there, waiting in the headmaster’s office with her entourage.

“As we promised,” Bow announced, giving a wink to Mina, he lifted his pouch onto the table and lifted the flap.

At first, for a tense moment, nothing happened. Then a pink nose, followed by a pink head snuffled out of the sack. The pig oinked nervously, surround by strange faces. Then there was a shriek of joy that startled everyone.

“Suzy! You found her!” Mina was leaping up and down in joy, dress billowing in and out like a bellows. The pig spotted her and, oinking happily, jumped into her open arms.

“Oh, I thought I wouldn’t see you again!” Mina was hysterical with joy, hugging the pig to herself, eyes brimming slightly with tears. Then, she ran a hand up Suzy’s back, curiousity on her face. “She’s so clean. Did you two bathe her before you came back?”

Bow forced a smile while Ryu looked off to the side scratching the side of his head. Both looked incredibly guilty, but Bow, after a hesitant start, managed a “Umm. . . Yes?”

Apparently Mina didn’t catch on, and simply accepted the lie. “Well, thank you Bow, Ryu.”

She headed to the door, her guardians close behind. “I’ve got to go. I’m overdue back home anyway. Thank you again.”

After she left, Bow called out to her. “Wait! I thought we could become good friends!. . .Dammit. Second time she got away from me without a date this week.”

Ryu laughed. “‘Second’? I coulda sworn you tried three times on Monday. You lose the bet, man.”

Bow stuck out his lower lip. “Hey, like you won? You didn’t get a date either. You lose too, man.”

“So neither of us won. You were the one holding the pig. The bet was for the one with the pig gets a shot at her. You didn’t make the shot. You lost.”

“May I interrupt this. . .ahem. . .interesting discussion beofre it escalates to fisticuffs?” The elder asked, his tone demanding attention and respect. “You completed your task, and so are entitled to your reward. Here. Mina left this ahead of time. It’s five hundred gold coins.” He tossed it to Ryu, who poured what he thought was half into a pouch on his belt, and tossed it over to Bow. The dog-man merely dropped the full money bag into his pouch. After thanking the elder they left without another word. The elder steepled his hands and rested his chin on them.

“Perhaps its time I gave them a larger assignment.”

***

Outside, Bow yawned loudly, stretched, and gazed tiredly at Ryu. “Man, that was a long trip. I’m bushed. Whad’ya say we get some real sleep, buddy?”

Ryu, thought about it for a moment. It HAD been quite a walk, and they HAD only gotten a few hours sleep in the past few days, so. . .

“Aw, what the hell. Let’s go home. We can spend our dough tomorrow.” They headed for their apartment block. Little did they know, but someone was watching them.

*****

Knock knock knock.

Bow groaned and rolled over. At first he thought he had merely imagined it, but. . .

Knock knock knock.

No, someone was definitely knocking on the apartment door. What time was it? Bow wondered. Couldn’t be more than two a.m. He rolled out of bed and shuffled to the door, muttering “Hold yur horses. . .”

Only ten minutes after being rudely awakened, five after talking to the strange visitor, Bow had gathered his gear and, with a final glance at the sleeping Ryu, was gone.

***

Bow hadn’t been as quiet as he hoped he had. His shuffling around had disturbed Ryu’s sleep, and he woke up half an hour later. Yawning, he got up, and realizing Bow was gone, figured something must be up.

He left the apartment building, and wandered the quiet streets of the town. As he was passing the main gate, something caught his eye. Normally, there was a single plain-clothes soldier to prevent riff-raff from getting in, not that it stopped them anyway. Tonight, there were two guards, fully armed and armoured, on either side, totally alert.

“Hey Joey!” Ryu called to a guard he recognized. “What’s up? What’s with the battle gear?”

The soldier waved to him. “Hey Ryu! The town is locked down tight. The rich man, Trout? His house was broken into about an hour ago. No one is allowed in or out.”

“That’s weird.” Ryu thought aloud, walking away in the general direction of the magic school. “Bow, have you done something?”

He was just stepping under an arched gateway that separated the rich end of town from the common people when blue and red blur shot out of an alley and smacked into, knocking him to the pavement.

“Hey!?!” He cried out, as he hit the ground. From his somewhat compromised position, he got a good view of the person who hit him.

It was a girl in a red bodysuit with matching knee-high boots, midnight-blue hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a pair of blue-black wings sprouting out of her back. She looked down at him with a sort of disconnected embarassment. “Oops. ‘Scuse me.”

She quickly reached out and grabbed his arm, helping him to his feet and then dashed off into the night. “Wait!” Ryu called after her, running but being quickly left behind. He came to the end of his brisk sprint at a gate guarded by soldiers. When he asked them if he’d seen a girl come by, they merely laughed.

“No one came by here, and no one can get out of town through the gates. We have them all covered. The only way she could get out is if she could fly.”

Ryu walked away, deep in thought. Why was that girl in such a hurry? Where did she disappear to? How did Bow’s disappearance fit into it?

He was still pondering when he heard someone holler to him from above. Looking up, he saw the chief of police waving for him to join him on th raised ‘rich’ section of town. Ryu quickly ran up a nearby stairwell; it wouldn’t be wise to kep the chief waiting very long. In under a minute, he was standing in front of the police man.

“You are a friend of Bow’s, correct?” The chief asked, arms crossed, all seriousness emanating from him. Something was definitely up.

“Yeah,” Ryu answered. He raised an eyebrow. What’s Bow done this time? “So?”

“Trout’s house was broken into a little while ago, and Bow was seen by the guards running from the scene. I want you to deliver a message to him if you should see him; If I catch him, he’s going in jail.”

“Alright. I’ll be sure to tell him, if I see him. . .” And Ryu turned and walked away. He heard the chief call after him again.

“Ryu, I know this is tough, but you must understand. I know Bow is a good man, but hehas a bad habit, and it finally got him in trouble. I wish I didn’t have to arrest him.”

***

At one street corner, a relic from the past stood. It was a large stone dragon idol, sitting on its haunches and roaring. Ryu remembered when he’d heard about the ancient Wars, and the mysterious Dragon Clan. A very long time ago, before even St. Eva wandered the globe performing his miracles. Before St. Eva, people worshipped the Dragon God. Nowadays, hardly anyone ever prayed to the idol. In fact, in the case of this particular statue, it was defaced, with spray paint and toilet paper by youths.

Ryu knew that the church was closed, but one place of worship was as good as another. Kneeling down before the statue, he began to pray quietly.

“Huh? Is someone actually praying to me? That only happens once in a blue moon!” A deep voice came from above Ryu.

“H-huh?What?” Ryu stuttered and slowly craned his neck up. The statue had changed. Now instead of roaring, it gazed down at him with a gentle smile. It’s eyes had changed too; they were filled with life, fire, emotion. All Ryu could do was stare.

The statue looked down at itself and tched. It reached back and yanked off the toilet paper. Then it tried to rub the spray painted stripe off its side, to no avail. “Hmmph. No respect for the elderly anymore. Everyone prays to St. Eva now.”

“W-who are you?” Ryu asked cautiously. The statue stopped rubbing the stain and smiled at him.

“Why, I’m Ladon, the Dragon God. I’ve had so few people pray to me in the last few centuries, that I decided to make a personal appearance each time I was prayed to.” The dragon planted its fists firmly on its hips and sniffed. “That’s more than St. Eva and his God ever did. So, why do you pray to me?”

“I was praying for my friend, Bow. He’s in a lot of trouble, and I don’t know if he’ll get caught.”

“And your name would be?”

“Ryu Bateson.”

The Dragon God’s stone ears perked up. “Ryu? Could it really be? . . .Step foreward Ryu.”

Ryu stepped foreward, and the statue leaned down to eye level with him. It reached out and brushed the hair away from Ryu’s face. After a moment of deep examination, The statue sat back. “Amazing. After all these years, he’s back. He’s returned at last.”

“Sir, what are you talking about?”

“Hmm? Oh yes, right.” The statue cleared its throat. “Ryu, there was once a legendary warrior, one that saved the world. He swore that, when the world was in trouble, he would return to save it. His name was Ryu.”

“What?”

“The warrior has returned twice already, and saved the world from the brink of destruction. Each one was named Ryu. That was ten thousand years ago. I suspect that you may be that warrior, reincarnated yet again. If that is true, then maybe the world is in trouble again. . .I need to watch this closely. Good bye, Ryu. We shall meet again.” With that, the statue reverted back to the way it was when Ryu first knelt before it. Ryu sat for a moment, in shock, before getting up and walking away into the night.

Ryu continued walking, along the rich northern end of the city. He walked along the torch-lit streets, gazing up at the stars, and at the homes owned by some of the town’s richest citizens. As he was coming around a corner, he heard his name called. Out of the darkness came a young man in a butler’s outfit; he seemed quite out of breath, and was doubled over trying to catch it when he stopped. It took him a few minutes, but eventually he managed to deliver a message for Ryu; actually, it was an invitation. A few minutes later, he was standing just outside the mansion of employer of the messenger.

The front door opened, and a man in a Victorian-styled suit, with a powdered wig emerged, and the front gate opened. The man seemed disturbed, and introduced himself as Kilgore, the second richest man in the town. “Ryu, I’m so sorry.”

“For what?”

“I’m the one who sent Bow into Trout’s. It’s my fault he’s in so much trouble.” The man’s face dropped even more. “Ryu, I’m begging you. Please help prove Bow’s innocence. I know he’s innocent, and you know, and he knows, but that’s not good enough. If he came forward, he’d be arrested on the spot. If you came forward, they wouldn’t accept it, because you’re his best friend. And if I came forward, . . .I had no prior connection to the case, and if I came forward it would do us no good. You have to find the real culprit. Bow told me after the robbery that it was a girl with wings.”

That set of a bell in Ryu’s head. “A girl with wings, you say? I ran into her a little while ago, before I came here. No wonder she was in such a hurry. She’s long gone now.”

“Ryu, you must hunt her down! She is the key to Bow’s innnocence.”

***

Ryu closed the door to his and Bow’s apartment, and then flipped on the light switch, only to find he was not alone.

“Bow! You’re here!” He exclaimed, then crossed his arms and frowned. “Tell me exactly what’s happened. Leave nothing out.”

Bow sat down in a chair and thought back. “Kilgore came here a few hours ago. Said he had a job for me. I was to steal back an artifact called the Magic Hood from Trout. Apparently, the hood was stolen from Galford a few days ago, and Trout had it.”

“What’s the Magic Hood?” Ryu asked.

Bow scratched his chin. “Well, from what I understand, its a device that allows you to hear any spoken words, no matter what language or volume, in a fifty meter radius, and understand it. Sort of a universal translator, perfect for use during trade agreements with foreign nations. Anyway, I had broken into the house through a side window, and had made it to the storehouse. It was on the far western side of the building, and was protected by a triple titanium steel bolt lock system.” He smiled and reached into his belt, producing a small packet of lock-cracking utensils. “Was. No match for me and my skills. As it so happens, just as I was about to crack open the lock, the door suddenly opened and there was a girl inside stealing the Magic Hood!”

“A girl with wings.” Ryu interjected. Bow gave him an odd look, and Ryu shrugged. “We’ve met. Go on.”

“Anyhoo, that girl got past me and leapt out a window nearby. About then the guards showed up. Seeing’s how there was no one else around, and the storehouse door was open, they thought I was the thief. I did’t even get a chance to snatch anything!”

“So, how’d you get out?”

“The window that girl broke through. By the time I jumped out, she was long gone.” Bow’s shoulders slumped in helplessness. “Buddy, I really need help. To catch that girl. It’s the only way I’ll be proven innocent.”

Before Ryu could reply, there was a sudden loud knocking at the door. “Open up, sir. This is the police.”

“Oh Shit!” Bow whispered, and began pacing around. “What am I going to do?! If they catch me, I’m done for!”

Ryu stroked his chin, mind racing furiously. Then, inspiration hit. He dashed over to their Lazy-Man’s Household Garbage Can, which was, in fact just an oversized outdoor garbage can that they used indoors. Neither of them was motivated enough to empty a small one day in and day out, so they had bought this large one. It proved to be a godsend. “Get inside! If they search, I doubt they’ll search here.”

Bow needed no other encouragement. Banning imprisonment to being a fugitive, he did a flying leap into the plastic can. Ryu had just slammed the lid down when the door unlocked, and the landlady and a police officer came in.

“Why didn’t you answer the door, Ryu?” The policeman asked, voice dripping with suspicion. The land lady merely turned and left. If there were an arrest, she would put the room up for sale tomorrow.

“I was a little busy, officer.” Ryu replied, acting innocent. The officer began to pace the room, surveying possible hiding spots. He did a quick look in the closet, and under both beds, before sniffing in disgust.

“We thought that perhaps he returned here after committing his crime.” He sneered. “He can’t get out of town. It’s only a matter of time. You report to us if you see him anytime in the next day or so. If you withold evidence from us, you will be charged with obstructing justice. Is that understood?”

Ryu straightened up and his mouth became a straight line. “Crystal, sir.” And the officer subsequently left.

Before he left, he pulled a wad of gum from his mouth, and without looking inside, opened the garbage can and flicked it in. The flavorless glob landed on the prone Bow’s nose, and the the cop replaced the lid. “Good. Have a nice day. . .”

Bow pushed the lid off. “Pheee-eew! It reeks in here!”

“Well, we gotta get you somewhere safe. They’ll be back, maybe with a search warrant next time.”

“Then, what’re we going to do?” Bow whined, and began hopping the garbage can around. Suddenly he stopped, and his face lit up. “I got it! You sneak me out of town in this can! Take me back to Niro, in that ruined town on the otherside of Mt. Fubi! You can do that, right buddy?”

Ryu considered it. “Won’t that be a little tough though? I mean, it’s a long way to Mt. Fubi. What if we’re attacked on the way?”

“I’m sure you can handle it, buddy. Besides, I know of a little boat I use for fishing just south of town. You can use it to take us to the southern penninsula.”

***

It was only a small matter of getting past Joe the guard at the main gate. When asked what he was carrying in the can, Ryu responded by saying garbage, and Joe crinkled his nose.

“Garbage, eh? Better take it to the dump. Don’t worry about leaving town, even with this lock down.” He winked. “I’ll vouch for you and that garbage. Go ahead. I didn’t see anything.”

***

As Bow had foretold, just a little south of town, in a small sandy inlet was a dinghy tied to a rotted old pier. The inlet was deep enough for large, salt water fish, but shallow enough to have a beach. After undoing Bow’s ‘knot’ and haulling the rope in, Ryu proceeded to row across the dark waters to the southern penninsula.

He actually had to circle around the horn of the penninsula, because there wasn’t a beach on the northern face, but luckily there was one on the southern edge. After a full two hours of hard rowing against trade currents and eddies, they finally landed on the beach. The first rays of morning light were just peeking over the horizon when Ryu hauled the garbage can holding Bow onto Niro’s front porch.

“Boy, am I glad to get out of there.” Bow was saying, climbing out of the can. “Next time I get framed and have to hide in something, I’ll make sure it smells better.”

Niro came out of the broken down building and found the two standing there. “You’re back? Great, come on in.”

***

Inside Bow explained his prediciment to Niro, who nodded thoughtfully. “. . .I see. So you want to stay here?”

“Yeah, at least until the real criminal’s caught. Whad’ya say?”

“Well, you’re timing is perfect. I need someone to help me keep this place from falling down.” As if on cue, a chunk of plaster fell from the ceiling to shatter on the table they were all sitting around. “See?”

“I guess I could help.” Bow shrugged. He turned to Ryu. “I know I’m in a lot of trouble. I know it might get you in trouble, but please, you gotta catch her.”

Ryu put a hand on his buddy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ll find her. I won’t stop until I find her.”

“You should probably check back at town, or in Coursair.” Niro pointed out.

“Yeah,” Bow added, after a moment. “Remember that advertisement we saw in the general store last week? The one about the Battle Arena in Coursair? It said that there was gonna be a girl fighting there. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and it’ll be her?”

“We can only hope.” Ryu breathed as he headed for the door. “We can only hope.”

 

 

Chapter Two: Coliseum Nights