Chapter 2

 

Coliseum Nights

It was morning by the time Ryu had finished crossing Mt. Fubi. Instead of heading northwest, back to the town he had called home for the last decade, he continued east, across the tollbridge that divided the Rhalpa and Tag regions. Following the shore of the Mt. Rocko Lake, he proceeded north. Along the way, he saw herds of the purple Birubiru bulls, animals larger than cows, and as ferocious as the fiercest bears. He took special care to avoid them.

Once or twice, he heard a kind of chittering from the bushes, and long grasses, and once he spotted the long, wide-bladed spear of the imp-like race commonly called Devil Children. They were called that because of their demonic cherubism, with their stubby horns, fangs, and taloned feet. Like a tribe of secretive aborigines, the Devil Children hid themselves from everything, and had a reputation for being easy to anger when caught unawares. Still, Ryu felt that he was in no danger.

At the top of a hill, at a fork in the road, a small wooden sign had been posted. Written in red paint, and bracketted by a pair of non-human skulls, it said in cryptic terms ‘Beware the Joker Gang’. Below the message a playing card had been nailed to the board; a dancing red and black harlequin carrying both a bloody, scythe-like knife in one hand, and a flaming skull in the other. An arrow pointed down the left path, towards the still visible Mt. Rocko in the distance. Another smaller sign was nearby, along the right path; ‘Coursair Arena’. Ryu chose that path.

Officially, the Rhalpa region had ended when he crossed the tollbridge miles back, but geographically, it ended at the Coursair suspension bridge. A marvel of technology, the Coursair bridge was suspended high over the gap between the northern and southern continents, hundreds of meters above the ocean. The only thing in the world that rivalled it was the Windia bridge, which toped it by half and was the trademark of the Windian Empire. The Wing Clan bridge had been around for nearly twenty thousand years, save for reconstruction due to plate drift, while Coursair’s had only been around for the last hundred or so. Ryu pondered this as he headed for the plateau city that was Coursair.

*****

“Wow.” Ryu breathed upon passing the arched gateway. Before him was a sprawling city, rising from the hub of which was the reconstructed ruins of the Colosseum. Like a monolith, it sat like a toad, casting a shadow over the city.

He walked through the streets, passing people hurrying to their destinations. Coursair seemed much, much bigger than Ryu’s home town back in the Rhalpa region; easier to get lost in, or easier to hide in, he couldn’t decide. He spent half the morning wandering around town before going to the Colosseum. At the front gate, there was a huge crowd of people, all fighting to get in.

“What’s going on?” He asked a man on the edge of the crowd. The orange-haired man looked at him with a slightly ecstatic look on his face.

“They’re finally selling tickets to the fights! If you want to get one, you better get in line cuz they’re going fast!”

“That’s a line?!” Ryu gaped at the horde of people pushing, shoving and yelling at each other. He shook off his amazement. “Oh well. Hey buddy, I’m looking for a girl with wings. She might’ve passed through the other day.”

“A girl?” The man interrupted Ryu halfway through. “The only girl I know of, or want to know of is Katt! She’s competing in the beginning matches. She’s a girl, so she must be tough! I’m putting all my money on her.”

At that moment, a loudspeaker sputtered on over the enterance. “Ladies and Gentlemen. The tickets for the initial rounds have been sold out. If you would like to purchase tickets for next week’s intermediate fights, please go to. . .”

The crowd let out a collective whine, and the fighting died down. Soon, the crowd began to disperse. Not knowing where to go next, Ryu went to the nearest ‘legitimate businessman’s club’ aka the pub. Maybe he could find some way into the Colosseum there. A scalped ticket, or something.

***

Upon entering, Ryu noticed that there was hardly anyone there. The dancer’s raised stage was empty, no music was playing, and the only people around were the bartenders. The barkeepers were tiredly cleaning the counter and all the glasses, as he approached the standing bar.

“Anything I can do for you, bub?” The man asked, wiping out a glass and putting it in a rack. He gave Ryu a quick once over and raised an eyebrow. “You sure you’re old enough to be in here? We don’t permit minors in here, y’know? ‘Specially after dark.”

Ryu ignored the comment. “Yeah, I’m old enough. I’m a member of the Ranger Guild, and you can only be one if you reach a certain age.” He pulled out the Guild badge. “See? Anyway, I’m looking for a suspicious woman. I was wondering if you’ve seen someone like that around here.”

The man looked from the badge, to Ryu, and back again. Shrugging, he leaned back. “No one comes here during the day. Technically, we’re closed at this hour. The dancing girls aren’t even here. After dark, though, all sorts of people come here. If you come back here then, maybe I could help you. Or maybe you’d like to kill time until then? We could always use a second set of hands behind the counter. Do you know how to mix drinks?”

Ryu shook his head. “No, but I learn pretty quick. Besides, it’s almost eight hours till dark. You can teach me.”

“Kid, you got yourself a job.”

***

The bartender was right. Once the sun set, all sorts of lowlifes and party animals came out. In droves. At first, they trickled in; barflies, returning from where they’d slept the day off, couples in booths, and people who just got off work. Then, the dancers started up, and all the perverts and single men and some single women began to appear, slowly filling up the tables around the stage. The lights were dimmed further, and all the nightclub special effects were turned on.

Every time the chance arose, Ryu watched the dancers. Some were very beautiful, some were just plain, and others, he wondered how they ever landed the job. At one point, the bartender gave him the rest of the night off; the late-nite help had finally arrived, and he was no longer needed. Just as he was about to leave, the bartender caught his arm.

“There’s no woman like you described around here, but you see that big guy by the stage?” He pointed over to a huge, gray armadillo-man sipping from a keg and ogling the dancer on stage. “He works at the Colosseum, so maybe he can get you in. That girl might be in there, but tickets are sold out.”

“Thanks.” Ryu replied, and made his way through the packed tables to the large man. Sitting down next to him, Ryu greeted him. “Hey.”

Never taking his eyes off the dancer, the man murmured his hello and sipped from the keg. Ryu cleared his throat.

“So,” He began. “Who’s your favorite dancer?”

“Snowflake.” Was the answer. Ryu had seen Snowflake up on stage an hour ago. Fairly attractive woman, but too old for his taste. “Yours?”

Ryu was about to answer when the music shifted from a dance song to a slow, seductive one, lights following suit by changing colour and moving slowly. A Woren girl about a head shorter than Ryu, athletic, with short cut bright red hair, took to the stage. Immediately, everything around Ryu faded away; music, world, the big guy next to him. Only he and the girl on stage remained.

She did a very slow, intricate and enticing dance, with slides, bar spins, and erotic crouches. The silk scarves she wore drifted softly as she spun, turned, shifted, and gyrated; she seemed to stay only on Ryu’s end of the stage, establishing eye contact with him every few moves. Ryu found himself slack-jawed in spite of himself.

At one point, back horizontal with the stage, the cat-girl did a bar spin that brought her face to face with Ryu. Looking at him upside down, she smiled, winked, and reached out to close his mouth with one finger. Then, the song was over.

Ryu nudged the big guy, and, still staring at the girl’s retreating behind, leaned over to whisper.

“Her.”

At the edge of the curtain, the girl paused, looked back at him, winked once more and blew him a kiss. The armadillo man saw this and chuckled. Leaning down, he whispered to Ryu. “I think she likes you.”

Ryu let his breath out in a rush, and sat back, still a little shocked, but amused. The big man finished of his keg as the next girl came on stage, and he ordered a fresh lager. Looking down at Ryu he asked. “My name is Rand, how are you?”

The blue-haired teen shook Rand’s outstretched hand. “I’m from the Ranger guild in Rhalpa region. I was looking for a suspicious woman who framed a friend of mine for robbery, and I thought she might have fled here, to Coursair. Know anything about her?”

Rand rubbed his chin in thought. “Well, there’s the girl scheduled to be in the fights this week. You could see if she’s the woman you’re looking for. Only snag is all the tickets are sold out. The only way to get in is to either be a contestant, or to be one of the staff. You could register as a competitor, but you probably won’t see her.”

“Why not?”

“The guy she’s supposed to fight is some loner named Baba, from the Tag Woods up north. No one knows much about him; only that he has an axe with a unique symbol on it.” Rand dipped a pinkie in his beer and traced a rough image on the table cloth, the lager deepening the already dark maroon to an even darker shade. “Kinda like that, only much more intricate.”

Ryu examined the symbol, and then asked. “Where are these Tag Woods you speak of?”

“Straight north of town. Right after the fork in the road. You can’t miss it.” Rand took a swill, as Ryu got up to leave. “You gonna be here tomorrow?”

“Yeah. I just have some. . .business to attend to. If you’ll excuse me? . .” And he was gone.

*****

Ryu didn’t even bother sleeping that night. Instead, he journeyed north, along the trade road, until he reached the road fork Rand had predicted would be there. ‘Windia - West, Coursair - South, Tag Woods - North’ the sign said, with arrows pointing down the roads. The road to Windia was to the left, the road to the Tag Woods on the right, and he had just come up the Coursair road. Naturally, he chose the road on the right.

Dawn was breaking as he entered the Tag Woods, though the first light of day didn’t diminish the lingering fog that shrouded the forest constantly. An old growth forest, it was filled with ancient, decrepit trees, gnarled and evil-looking, though Ryu knew they were harmless. That is, until one of the gnarled branches of a tree halfway into the woods suddenly lashed out at him.

He leapt back with a yell of surprise, and found himself staring at the single, great glaring eye of a tree-like monster. Having never encountered something like this before, Ryu stood there in shock, sword not drawn, a prefect target. The tree monster suddenly lurched foreward, tearing its roots from the ground to form feet, and roared fiercely. It took a few more steps foreward, limbs flailing madly, until it had blocked off Ryu’s way out of the forest. Its roar shook him out of his stupor.

Instead of being foolishly brave and facing down with the beast, Ryu did the smart thing, and sprinted farther down the path. Behind him, he could hear the monstrous thing crashing through the underbrush, making good time even though it was weighted down by its roots and branches.

Finally, the chase ended in a dawn-lit clearing. Seeing as he had no way out, Ryu turned and whipped his sword out of its sheath. He adopted a battle stance and motioned to the monster. “All right. You want me? You got me!”

The tree-beast was about to attack, when a strange sound filled the air, and with a sudden flash steel, something shot past Ryu and into the monster. It turned out to be an axe; not a throwing axe, but a very heavy looking double-bladed battle axe which had embedded itself deep in the monster’s cyclopsian eye. Dark, oil-like sludge poured from the wound, and the creature let out a howl, before it pitched sideways and died.

From a nearby bush, a form erupted and shot over the the monster. It was a heavy set man, face almost totally hidden by hair, clothed in green and brown. With one hand, he gripped the axe and yanked it out of the dead monster, before facing Ryu. “What are you doing in my forest?”

Ryu swallowed the lump in his throat and answered in a wavery voice. “W-would you happen to be Baba?”

The man straightened up and puffed up. “I am Baba Guru, yes. What do you want?”

“I want to take your place in the Coursair arena.” Ryu commanded, determination filling his voice. He wasn’t prepared for what the lumberjack did next; he laughed. Loudly. As if he found it so funny that someone as small as Ryu would want to challenge him.

“So, you want my spot in the fights, eh kid?” Baba said, regaining his composure. He shook his head. “Sorry, I won’t do that. They won’t believe that you’re me unless you have this axe, and there’s only one way to get it; by beating me.”

Still in battle stance, Ryu motioned for him to make his move. “Then that is how I’ll get it.”

Baba tensed up and launched himself at Ryu, axe coming down in a neat over hand slice. Ryu leapt back half a step, and shen he was sure, leapt up and over Baba in a neat front flip, sword sticking out like the tooth of a buzz-saw. The spinning blade/ball that was Ryu very nearly gave Baba a neat part down the center of his head, but the large man ducked just before. Baba reached up to make sure his head was still in one piece, and then chuckled grimly. “Nice shot, kid.”

“I try.” Ryu answered before turning and kicking the bigger man in the ribs. That doubled the lumberjack over, and left him open to the flipping kick, the Flash Kick, that lifted him off his feet. With a tremendous crash, he plummeted down in the brush at the end of the clearing. During his flight, the axe bearing the symbol had fallen from his loose grasp. Now laying prone, he was stunned where he lay when the blade of his own axe came down mere millimeters from his scalp. Looking up, he found the blue-haired boy in control of his axe.

“Had. . . enough?” Ryu asked, short of breath. He let go of the handle and stepped back. The big man slowly edged away from the blade, then sat up and stared.

“You beat me?!. . .You actually beat me.” He stared at the ground in shock. “I’ve never been beaten before. . .”

“There’s a first time for everything.” Ryu commented. Then his face hardened. “Now about our agreement?”

Baba stood up and pulled the axe out of the ground. Flipping it so that he was holding the flat edges, he pointed the handle at Ryu. “As we agreed, you can have my place in the tournament. This axe will prove that you are ‘me’. It will also prevent any animals in this forest from attacking you. You whooped my ass, and I can whoop the ass of any monster around here, so they’ll leave you alone. Take care, little man.”

Ryu took the axe and put it across the sheath on his back. It was really pretty heavy. He nodded to Baba. “Take care, yourself, Baba.”

The blue-haired teen turned, and after crawling over the giant tree-monster’s carcass, headed out of the forest and back to town. Along the way, no monsters attacked him, though he could hear them shifting and whispering in the bushes.

*****

Amazingly, Ryu got back to town within a few hours. It was almost two by the time he got back. According to the schedule posted in the town, he wasn’t scheduled to fight until tomorrow, so he decided to just hang around. That’s when he heard the bells of St. Eva’s church ringing, and remembered he hadn’t been to church in a week. He had had a nagging feeling of forgetting something for a while, and now the bell’s had reminded him. He headed straight for the church.

Inside the church, the religious atmosphere was simply, well, divine. It brought loving, proud, and sad feelings out in Ryu, for no real reason. It just felt good to be in a church again. Looking around, he realized that there was only a few parishioners. Perhaps the people of this town weren’t very religious; even with a low turnout, the priest was still going through the motions of benediction. Quietly, he made his way down the center aisle and knelt down at the cushion provided, and began to pray to God.

He hardly noticed when someone knelt beside him, and began to pray. Finished with his prayer to God permitting him to find the true culprit behind the theft at Trout’s house, Ryu opened his eyes and looked over at the person who kneeled beside him.

The man was about Ryu’s age, with a fair face, long brown hair that had an upturned part at the front, like Ryu’s own. He was dressed in a kimono-like robe, decorated with a swirling blue-white design and had sharp metal shoulder covers. The covers were not very large, but were definitely armour, even if they didn’t look it. Whi;e Ryu was taking this all in, the man finished his prayers and looked at him with sharp brown eyes that mirrored his own in their intensity. They could be brothers, if Ryu didn’t know better.

“Are you travelling?” The man asked, voice very fine and questionning.

“Yes, I am. My name is Ryu Bateson.” He offered his hand to the stranger. “If I may be so bold?”

The man accepted his outstretched hand. “Not at all. My name is Ray Braddock. I am a missionary from St. Eva’s church, and was just passing through.”

“Me too. I’m looking for a thief who may have come through recently. You?”

“As a missionary of St. Eva, I look to find new converts and apostles for my church wherever I go. I came here because attendance in this city is at an all time low. I need to find out why.” When he spoke of St. Eva, Ryu could only see love and adoration in Ray’s eyes. Ryu wondered what it was like to believe in something so totally.

After mass was over, Ryu shook Ray’s hand once more. “Perhaps we shall meet again Ray.”

“Till we meet again, my friend. Remember; the church will aid you wherever you go.”

***

After church, Ryu killed a few hours under a tree in the town square. He people watched all afternoon, until his stomach began to growl. He grabbed a bite at the burger stand, and went back to girl-watching. A couple of real good pieces of tail walked by, and he gave them his undivided attention. Before he knew it, the sun was setting, and he was on his way back to the night club he’d worked in the other night.

Inside, he got himself a spot at the table next to the stage, and putting his feet up on the other chair, saved a spot for that big guy Rand. Soon, the dances began.

About two hours after Ryu had sat down, Rand came in. Looking for a place to sit, he spotted Ryu waving for him, and made his way over to the table.

“Been waiting for you, man.” Ryu said, taking his feet off the seat. Rand sat down and ordered a round.

“Thanks, little guy.” Rand said. The waitress dropped off a pair of kegs. “Gonna drink up with me?”

Ryu shook his head. “Don’t drink. Never really developed a taste for it. Thanks anyway.”

The armadillo man shrugged and picked up Ryu’s keg in his free hand and took a sip. “So, you’re here again, eh? Don’t you have somewhere to be?”

“Nope. Just killing time till tomorrow’s match.” He put his hands behind his head and watched the dancer twirl, bump and grind on stage.

“What do you mean, ‘your match’?”Rand asked, putting both beers down. “Who are you anyway?”

Ryu gave him a sly grin and pulled the axe off his back, setting the head on the table. Rand merely stared at it.

“You mean, you’re. . .”

“Yup.”

“Damn.” Rand muttered in disappointment. “You’ve got a cute face. I was hoping for a fight between some tough guy with a weird name against a really tough and pretty girl. Oh well. Good luck, then.”

“Thanks.” They both turned their attention back to the dancers. This time there were two, both female, both greased up, and both making out as they moved. One was human, the other some canine clanner, looking kind of like a cocker spaniel, but more human than dog. Either way, it made for good watching.

The song ended, and the dancers gathered up the money cast at their feet, and departed behind the curtain. When the music began again, Ryu immediately recognized it. On cue, the same dancing cat girl came out. The same one that he was so enthralled by. As before, everything seemed to drop away when he watched her.

When she danced closer to him, he reached up with a pair of hundred dollar notes and carefully slid it behind her faux-jewel encrusted belly belt. Her eyes widened at the sight of the bills and she changed her performance. Instead of sliding down the pole in the middle of the stage, she took the one right next to Ryu and, when she slid down, stopped at his eye level. Then she broke every rule in night club dancing and, hanging by her legs from the pole, back facing the stage, reached with both hands, pulled his face to hers, and gave him a very intimate kiss.

Letting go of him, she gave him a wink, and went on with her dance. Again, as with the night before, before she left, she blew him a kiss and winked.

Ryu was still smiling when he realized Rand was staring at him.

“What?”

The big man looked shell shocked. “You do know you gave her two hundred dollars, right?”

“Yeah, so?”

“Nothing. . .wow.” Rand stared into his drinks, then sat back and stared at Ryu again.

“What?!?” Ryu asked, exasperated.

“That was a shit-load of money, man. Where do you think you’re going to get more?”

“By winning the fights and taking the prize money.” Ryu replied simply.

“Oh.” After that, the rest of the night past rather quickly. The cat girl was still in Ryu’s thoughts when he left the club. He could still feel her kiss on his lips. Getting a room at the inn, he quickly fell asleep, dreams predominated by the cat girl.

***

The next day, Ryu went to the Colosseum to prepare for the fight. When he was asked for ID he produced Baba’s axe, and was let in. At the front desk, the receptionist guided him to a room in back, where the final approval was to be done.

“Just have a seat Mr. Guru, and the HR director will be in in a moment.” The woman smiled, and left him sitting in the office. He had a few minutes, so he decided to look around; Bare walls, a large crack running down one of them. Pretty boring.

He was about to examine a family photo on the desk when the door slammed open and a large man in shorts and a tank top marched in. He was deeply tanned, as though he had just stepped out of a suntanning salon, and was as bald as a billiards ball. “Sorry I’m late. Got caught up with the kids.”

“Cute kids.” Ryu replied, looking at the two smiling faces in the picture. He set the photo back on the desk. “Are you the HR director?”

“Yes. Yes I am. And I take it you are Baba Guru? From. . .” The man searched around his desk for a moment, then pulled out a sheet of paper. Slipping on reading glasses, he skimmed the paper. “. . .Tag Woods? Is that correct?”

“Yes, it is.” Ryu replied. An itch was developing behind his knee guard, and he tried to reach it by worming a finger behind the guard, but was unsuccessful.

“Okay, everything seems in order, so let’s get down to the nitty-gritty stuff. Education?”

“Um, I suppose grade ten. Never really attended school. No time.” The itch was getting bigger. He tried using his finger again, but still couldn’t reach. It frustrated him.

“Hobbies?”

“Uh, chopping down trees. Fighting in the arena. Woodwork.” Ryu lied. Now he undid the guard and let it drop to the floor. He began to scratch the itch, and it felt so good. He forgot about the guard on the floor.

The HR director picked up a rubber stamp, dabbed it on an ink pad, and jabbed on the paper. “Approved. You pass, Mr. Guru. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a prior engagement that I’m already late for.”

He hurried out of the room, leaving Ryu sitting there. Looking around, Ryu shrugged and left. Outside, the receptionist directed him to the colosseum’s owner’s room, which it turned out, was right next to the HR director’s room.

“Ah, Baba!” A man with salt and pepper hair called to him in a quiet, almost hoarse voice. The owner’s room was not an office, but a large bedroom. Practically an apartment, complete with large fireplace on the back wall. The man who summoned Ryu smiled beniegnly. “Welcome to Coursair Arena, Baba. I am Augustus, owner and curator of this magnificent building. I trust your journey here was a good one?”

Ryu shrugged. “It was okay. Kinda boring.”

“No news is good news, I suppose, hmm?” Augustus shook Ryu’s hand. It was a little to warm for Ryu’s taste. “Do you know much about you’re opponent?”

“Nothing.” "Well, she’s a new fighter, Katt Chuan. Drifted into town the other day and won the hearts of the population by being the underdog. Almost everyone is betting against you, you know.”

“Oh well.” Ryu shrugged again. “Guess I just gotta prove them wrong.”

Augustus raised an eyebrow. “Hmm? You don’t think you’ll get any challenge from this girl? I assure you she is quite tough.”

He reached inside his coat pocket and produced a small golden key. “This is the key to your dressing room. It’s the one on the right, in the prep area. Oh, and don’t worry about the match. There’s no way you can lose. It’s a scenario, you understand.”

Ryu took the key. “I don’t understand.”

“It doesn’t really matter. In any case, you just fight.”

Ryu walked away from the owner’s office very confused. Following directions given by the receptionist, he made his way around the colosseum to the fighter’s rooms. He found them, and unlocked the one marked ‘Baba’. Inside was a simple table and chair, nothing else. Ryu took off his sword, sheath and breastplate and all, and tossed it across the chair. It was then that he remembered his Dragon’s Tear necklace.

A relic from his past, it could see into people’s hearts and reproduced their emotional auras as colours in the tear-shaped stone in the middle. He looked at the orange colour of the stone, and put it back under the edge of his shirt.

***

With a lot of time to kill, he wandered the halls for a few hours, talking to people, getting to know his surroundings, and eventually followed them back to the fighter’s rooms. It was then he noticed the door next to his, the one with a yelllow star and the word ‘Champion’ on it. Taking the gold key out of his pocket, he gave it a spin, and smiling slyly, put it in the lock. As if the key was a skeleton key, the lock gave way, allowing him entry.

Ryu opened the door to the Champion’s room slowly, checking over his shoulder now and then for someone watching him. The room itself was fairly spartan in appearance and decoration; a table, bed, and three leather trunks were all that were in it. Not even a painting on the wall. The only other piece of furniture was a full length wall mirror on the far wall, near another door.

Of the three trunks, two were open, containing only a few useless trinkets. The third, however, was closed. Ryu was across the room quickly, and going through first open trunk almost immediately. There, in the first trunk, he found a broken battle staff; it had been shattered in the middle, and was made from the wood of a birch tree. Under that was a spare pair of open-toe boots, and a single gauntlet.

In the second open trunk, on the far end, Ryu found a few books, including a copy of Moby Dick that looked like it had been only thumbed through and never read. Apparently, this Katt person he was facing didn’t read very much.

Putting the thick novel down, he opened the third trunk. It was curious; he had no idea why he was snooping. It just wasn’t his style. He immediately stopped questioning himself when he picked up the first content of the trunk.

A nightgown, an evening dress with deeply cut front, and some other extremely personal items were what he found. He gulped heavily, blushing, and looked aside when he pulled out a slinky, lacy black lingerie. Dropping it, he sifted through the chest again and came up with a set of silky and very familiar scarves. Could it be? He wondered, thinking of the night before. He quickly put everything back the way he found it, messy, and closed the chest, standing up.

Suddenly, the door directly to the left of the trunks, directly opposite of the door he entered, and a very angry female voice drifted in from the hall. Ryu froze.

“...don’t care. All I want is the challenge and the money. I don’t care who the hell I fight, so long as I am the winner...” Quickly, Ryu’s eyes darted around the room, looking for a place to hide, or to run out. But the exit door was too far, and besides, it was directly across from the now opening door. As a instinctive reaction, Ryu grabbed for the handle of his short sword, only to discover to his horror that he’d left it in his prep room. That was smart. Ryu berated himself, gripping instead the Dragon’s Tear necklace that now hung around his neck. The silver dragon was cold, but the mood-sensing gem inlaid in it was warm to the touch.

The door swung open slowly, with still no one entering, but before he could make a move, his opponent walked in. At first, she didn’t see him as she finished yelling at an official, and closed and locked the door, which gave him time to quickly look her over. She looked familiar but, he couldn’t place. . .wait! The belt! That faux-jewel encrusted belly belt! Ryu knew he’d seen it somewhere, and now he knew where. It was her, the exotic dancer from the pub! Only now, strapped to her back was a very long, hard looking staff. Ryu suddenly realized that he probably should have brought his sword. Or flowers.

Then she turned and saw him.

“Hey!” She yelled, reddish-brown eyes flashing angrily at first, then softened as she recognized him. Now that he could see her in the light, Ryu could now tell exactly what clan she’d come from by her outward appearance. “You! The guy from the bar who gave me the two hundred! What are you doing here?”

As a Woren, she was most definitely humanoid, but where pants and leggings should have been, she had a coat of short of fine, tiger-like fur from her waist down, and a long, striped tail swung fiercely behind her. Katt wore leg armour in the form of super-hard steel bands encircling her legs at mid thigh and mid shin. Covering her lower shins and their armour, were a pair of toeless purple leather boots similar to the pair he’d found in one of the trunks. Around her midsection was the very familiar brass-meshed belt encrusted with colourful stones, none too valuable, and a violet, low cut tunic hid her athletic bosom. Supporting the tunic were a pair of brass rings attached in turn to a collar encircling her neck. On her forearms, she had wrist guards of the same design as her shin guards, and purple leather gauntlets that matched her open-toe boots, except that she was missing a glove. The other was in the trunk. On the outside of that gauntlet, Ryu had observed it had star-shaped knuckle studs.

On her attractive face, just above and on either side of her mouth were a pair of stripes, leading back to where her jaw met her neckline.

Katt was a full head shorter than him, and even though he’d seen her dance as the perfect model of femininity, Ryu figured she was as tough as any monster he’d encountered so far. Her short, unruly red hair, styled differently than the previous night was a stark contrast to his long, flaring blue hair, just as her reddish eyes opposed his emerald green. She gave him a quirky half smile, exposing a pair of sharp, short canines; canines longer than any human’s, but not long enough to impair speech.

“Well? Don’t you have something to say?”

Ryu found himself trying to stammer a response, when she noticed the second trunk. Whose latch was now up, when she’d left it down. She gave him a suspicious look, hands on hips. “Were you going through my stuff?”

She unshucked her battle staff, and began spinning it as she walked closer to him, and he realized he was going to have his ass kicked if he didn’t say something quick.

“Uh. . .Uh. . . You have nice lingerie!” He blurted, then clapped his hands over his mouth, hoping to push the words back in to no avail. He’d made a complete jerk of himself yet again.

Her angry façade faltered, then collapsed to a sly smirk. To his great relief, the staff slid back into its back mount. Still smirking, she raised a feathery eyebrow. “Really? You really think so?”

“Yeah. You’re a really good dancer too. I’ve never seen anyone move like that.” If he played his cards right, maybe he’d survive the experience with the girl who’d filled his dreams all night.

She stepped in front of the closed trunk, knelt down, and opened it. She reached inside, pulled out the slinky black outfit, and turned around mock modelling it for him. Once again, Ryu began blushing and quickly looked aside while scratching the back of his head uncomfortably.

“Maybe you’ll see it with me in it sometime, handsome.” She slipped him a wink and started to put it away. “By the way, what’s your name?”

Ryu had an urge to blurt out his own, true name, but remembered how he was supposed to be impersonating Baba Gura at the moment.

“Baba.”

She stopped sifting through her trunk. A hand shot out and gripped the battle staff.

“Baba?” She stood up, voice low and threatening, once again angry, and getting angrier by the second. “As in Baba Gura? Of the Tag Woods of the north?! My opponent in tonight’s fight?!?”

Ryu began backing away, slowly inching towards the exit. “Uh, yes, unfortunately. . .I wish I didn’t have to fight someone like you, if it’s any consolation. . .”

“Why?” She asked, taking a menacing step forward. “Disappointed you’ll be facing a woman?”

Even though she was shorter than him, at that moment, all Ryu could see was a very pissed off person, equal, if not stronger than himself. Size truly didn’t matter.

“No, no! Nothing like that!” Ryu tried explaining, holding his hands up in an defensive gesture. Then he noticed the Dragon’s Tear moodstone changing colour. Yellow, to orange, to an angry red, definitely reflecting Katt’s current mood swing. Uh oh. “It’s just that. . .”

He never finished. Katt dashed forward and jabbed one end of her staff into his gut, knocking the wind from him. Doubled over and gasping for breath, Ryu stumbled in front of the door, his back facing it. As he coughed and wheezed, Katt stepped up and planted a kick under his chin that lifted him up and out into the hallway. He was knocked so far and high in the air, he ended up landing in a backwards belly-flop in one of the indoor freshwater springs.

As he resurfaced and spit out what felt like half a liter of water, Ryu saw Katt slam her door so hard she cracked the stone wall around it. Around his neck, the moodstone flared white and went clear. With no one else around, it could not sense anything.

He rubbed his sore jaw, thinking about the bruise he’d have tomorrow.

“What a kick. . .”

*****

The fight was only a few hours away, when Ryu realized he’d forgotten his shin guard in the interview room. After convincing the secretary of his problem, he quickly entered the interview room and found the armour right where he’d left it. Opting to put it on there, that was the only reason he began to hear a conversation from the manager’s office next door. He could hear through the crack that ran along the wall. Apparently it went all the way through.

He leaned close to the wall, careful not to make any noise that would give him away. The wall must have been fairly thin, because he managed to catch almost all the conversation.

It was Augustus, and he was talking to someone else. That didn’t bother him, but it was what Ryu heard that made his blood run cold.

“You have the poison arrow prepared, I assume? Good. I don’t care which fighter it hits, so long as one winds up dead.” Ryu heard footsteps leaving, and a door close.

Augustus continued talking, to himself, as there was no one around.

“These pitiful humans. Their rage and bloodlust will be their undoing, and the freedom of our God! Once he is free, no one shall dare oppose us!” Maniacal laughter filled the room, then faded away as Augustus decided to lie down.

But Ryu had already left the interview room, too early to hear the last thing Augustus said. He had to tell someone!

***

Ryu stopped in the lobby, in front of the main gateway, searching for someone who would help him, but something was wrong. The few people in the lobby were Colosseum workers, and a few guards, and they were all giving him a sly, evil-looking grin, increasing the dread and helplessness he was already feeling. Then he thought of someone: Rand! The big armadillo-man who worked at rebuilding the arena! He’d help!

Problem was, Ryu had no clue where he was. Deep in worrisome thought and despair, he trudged back to his dressing room to spend the last hour before the fight. When he opened the door, he was surprised to see an armoured guard waiting just inside, in front of his entrance to the arena. Next to the man was a table and chest that had not been there before.

“Ah, Baba.” The guard greeted him with a nod of his head. “You’re finally here. Now I can give you this.” He swept a hand across the table to indicate the chest. “In this chest are one thousand gold coins. A gift from Augustus. Don’t spend it all in one place.”

He walked past Ryu and was almost to the door when he stopped and looked back over his shoulder. “Congratulations on your upcoming victory.”

Ryu moaned and slumped despondently into a chair and spent a good twenty minutes staring at the chest of gold before someone knocked on the door. He shuffled himself to the door and opened it a crack, to see who it was, before opening it completely.

“Hiya, Baba buddy!” Rand smiled kindly, stepping his massive frame into the small prep room. He caught Ryu’s distraught look. “Hey, man, what’s the matter?”

Ryu sat back down and looked up at the seven-foot-something armadillo. “I heard something that I probably shouldn’t have. I don’t know what to do. I...I just don’t know...”

Rand knelt a little and planted a big hand on the blue-haired teen’s shoulder.

“Just tell me what you heard, little man.”

It took Ryu a good ten minutes to tell Rand everything he’d seen and heard. By the end, Rand was scratching his chin and nodding understandingly. “That’s pretty bad. A poison arrow, you say?”

“Yeah, and if either of us gets hit, we’re toast. Got any suggestions?”

“Well. . .” Rand thought for a second, before smiling. “I have it! Give me all the money you have! I need at least three hundred gold coins.”

Ryu’s eyes flashed down to his necklace. It was glowing a pale yellow colour, for good intentions. He picked up the chest from the table, and put it in Rand’s huge hand. “There. That’s one thousand gold coins. What do you want it for?”

“You’ll see. . .” Rand grinned, before rushing out of the room. In the meantime, Ryu went back to counting bricks in the wall.

Fifteen minutes later, Rand came back in delicately carrying an object in each keg-sized hand. He opened his hands to reveal two small vials containing a pearlish liquid with a faint blue tint to it.

“The strongest antidotes that Coursair’s doctor had. Cost a bundle too. Four hundred bucks a piece.” Ryu looked confused. “And what am I supposed to do with them?”

“You take one with you into the fight, and I’ll give the other to Katt. She’ll take it in with her, and, whoever gets hit, the other gives them their antidote.” Seemed simple enough. Ryu took one of the vials, and Rand went next door to give Katt hers. Less than a minute later, he heard the higher voice of Katt yelling, and the deep-baritone of Rand’s voice trying to explain something, then a loud sound, like metal hitting bone, and a yelp from Rand as he tumbled out into the hallway. A door slammed shut.

Ryu stood up as Rand came back in, nursing a sore spot on his face. The gray leather colour of his skin was contrasted by the bright purple of the massive bump that was already forming across his right temple.

“Goddamnit! That hurt! She’s tough!” Rand exclaimed in bewilderment. “Just like the Biruburu bull of the grasslands. Wasn’t she that girl from the night club?”

He looked down to Ryu. “You’ll have to take both antidotes. She’s too proud, distrusting, and stubborn to accept help. Even after that bundle of money you gave her.”

“But, how can I protect her if I’m going to fight her?” Time was running out.

“You’ll have to help her without her knowing it. Knock her out, then push her out of the way of the arrow. With any luck, neither of you will be hit.” He turned to leave, then added. “I’ll do my best to stop the archer.” Time ran out. Ryu slid the two vials into the cuff of his leather boots, so they wouldn’t shatter, just as an armoured guard came through the arena entrance behind him.

“It’s time.” Was all he said.

Ryu nodded, and walked through the arena entrance as the guard stepped out of the way, thumped his right breast and bowed. Walking down the passageway that lead into the battleground, he noticed that the cheering and yelling was gaining in volume the closer he got to it. He stopped at a pair of massive, pitch-stained doors; the true arena entrance. On the other side, he could hear a fantastic orchestral score being played to announce the fight.

Suddenly, all the music stopped except for a drum roll, and the huge doors opened, revealing a reinforced, drop-steel gateway that rose up and out of the way to let him in. The glare inside the arena blinded him as he stepped out, but he quickly recovered. Upon entering, the drum roll stopped, and the hushed crowd began to boo him. Taking in the scene, Ryu found himself in a long pit-like depression, far below the spectators, who sat in bleachers hewn from obsidian. On either side, the bleachers looked in on the arena, which consisted of two opposing balconies linked by a wide, thick log, above a pit of water some twenty feet down. The closer he got to the large Tag-Woodean Redwood log bridge, the more offensive the insults became.

“Baba is a wimpy name!” One spectator yelled.

“Look how scrawny he is!” Another called.

“Baaaabaaaa. . .” Some on the third tier chanted, hoping to break his confidence.

“You suck, Baba!” A teenage Guntsian called, his short horns still covered in fluff.

Ryu gritted his teeth as he stepped onto the wooden bridge, to prevent himself from responding to the insults. Though he was glad to know that he was not Baba, only impersonating him, he didn’t like the way the fans treated challengers. Poor Baba would have been broken-hearted to learn he was unappreciated here.

As he neared the center of the sixty-some-foot log, he glanced up to see Rand standing off to one corner. Rand nodded to him and acknowledged him, Ryu smirking a little as he did the same. Suddenly, another drum roll began. The lights dimmed, and a pair of spotlights swung in to illuminate the other gate. Once again, the crowd began to chant, but Ryu was no longer the object of their attention.

“Katt! Katt! Katt! Katt!. . .” They chanted, starting from a whisper and growing to a roar. The gate opened, and she walked out, the crowd letting out a cheer. The lights came back up, and she stepped forward to take in her adoring public. During the journey through the challenger’s passage, Ryu had shifted his Dragon’s Tear from his necklace to a hard point on the inside of his left arm. As per tradition, he and Katt had to shake hands before the fight began; Ryu glanced down and saw the tear go yellow. This was a good time to talk to her, so he leaned in a little, and motioned for her to do the same. Their mouths were opposite each other’s ear, close enough to whisper.

“Katt, I need to talk to you.”

“Make it quick. We gotta fight.”

Ryu quickly laid out Augustus’s plan. “Auggie up there planned for one of us to die by poison arrow, to make it look like one of us killed the other. He said it was for the entertainment factor or something. I have two antidotes in my boots; I need to give you one to protect you, as well as myself.”

“What? What poison arrow?!? I don’t believe you!” She stepped back.

“Look up and to your right.” Katt turned a little, looked and smiled.

“That’s Henri, Augustus’s servant, and a friend of mine. He’d never hurt me.” Her expression darkened, as she turned back to Ryu. She gripped her staff a little harder. “I still don’t believe you.”

On Ryu’s left gauntlet, the Dragon’s Tear turned deep orange. He watched it change, sighed, and assumed his trademark battle stance; left leg straight out in front, foot pointing off to the right, the right back and bent at the knee for support. He unsheathed his sword and held it out in front of him, tip forward. With his right arm, he kept it back at shoulder level, hand curled in like a scorpion’s tail, ready to lash out and punch, or to grab. It was with this hand he motioned for her to ready herself. He adopted a an angry, sarcastic grin, a frown just on the edge of forming.

“Then let’s get on with it. I’ll prove myself right. I will try not to hurt you. . . too severely. I would like to see you dance again.”

Katt, too, went into her traditional battle stance; Staff held with the right hand back and up the main body, the left hand forward and down near the tip, so the staff had its lowest end toward him. She shifted her right leg back, like Ryu, for support, and her left leg forward. Her tail flickered anxiously back and forth behind her. In a way, her stance was a modified version of his own, Ryu noticed, only when she did it, it looked good.

Her upper lip curled back in a low, feral snarl, baring her teeth and one of her extended canines fangs. In response, Ryu mimicked her, though his heart wasn’t in the growl. Both fighters looked like they were ready to tear each other apart, even before the match had begun!

It was at that point, that Augustus, from his throne-like seat mounted in the balcony above Katt’s entrance, decided this would be the perfect moment to announce the beginning of the match. He stood up and opened his arms to the spectators, as the spotlights spiralled in towards him. The way the glaring light hit his salt & pepper hair made it appear totally black. He didn’t even need to say much, once the hundreds had quieted down to a low rumble.

“Let the fight begin.” Was all he said. The crowds roared.

On the massive, ten foot wide log, the two warriors clashed weapons almost immediately. From the point of contact of both weapons, sparks and expended mystical energies flared and flew. Through the glare of the sparks, Ryu gritted his teeth, and pushed his sword blade forward, while executing a neat back flip, landing a fair distance from Katt. In doing so, he forced her to leap back and away from him, near her entrance. Thing was, instead of landing on the log as he had, she landed on the wall feet first, collecting herself, before launching herself forward through the air at him, staff spinning out front. The force of her push off the wall, added to the weak lift her propeller-like staff had given her, gave her the airtime to cover the distance between them.

She caught him off guard. The staff spun so fast as she flew, it blurred, hitting him a good ten or twenty times, lifting him off his feet and carrying him off the log. Katt landed, and was beginning to take in the adoration of her public from the other side of the log, when the crowd’s cheers became boos. Confused, she leaned over the side of which Ryu had fallen. What she saw made her angry.

Hanging there by his sword, which he’d plunged into the log as he fell, was Ryu, or to her, Baba Guru, battered and bruised, but obviously still alive.

“Enough of this.” She jabbed the clawed end of her staff down, hoping to peg him and make him fall, to ensure her victory. Her lightning quick move was countered by an equally quick move from Ryu. He shifted to the side and grabbed the staff just above the deadly talons. Personally, he doubted she’d be able to pull his five foot, eleven inch frame up, being she was only a little under five feet tall, but she surprised him. Not only did she lift him up, but she threw him quite a ways down the log! Luckily, at the last possible instant, Ryu’d pulled his sword out of the wood, so he was not unarmed.

Once again, they ran at each other, but this time, Ryu adjusted his tactics. At the beginning of his run, he brought his sword up in what appeared to be an overhead slash, but as Katt raised her staff to counter it mid-run, he quickly ducked under and slashed out.

Katt watched in slow motion as Ryu ducked and slid past her, just under her upraised left arm. He swung his sword as he went by, and then was gone, stopped some distance behind her. She immediately stopped running and faced him in confusion. Why wasn’t she bleeding, or dead? Ryu resheathed his weapon confidently.

That was when the latch on her lower torso armour, the jewel-encrusted golden belt, cracked, and gave way, the true target of Ryu’s lightning quick slash. Katt looked down numbly, watching the belt drop off, and slide off the log into the water below. Then, she looked up, absolute rage on her face.

“My BELT!!!” She shrieked, rage and anger rising inside her. The air around her began to waver. “Do you have any idea how long I had to save up for that?!?”

Ryu, now a little freaked, checked the Dragon’s Tear. The stone went from an orange, to a blinding white, to red, then started to glow ominously. But he had long since looked away, and the crowds had silenced. Ryu now stared at what might be his own doom; a fiery, ferocious aura of rage energy was beginning to form around the seething Katt. It snapped and crackled threateningly as it rose away from her tense, shaking form.

Oops. Was all Ryu could think. I think. . . I made. . . her mad!

The aura cloud had reached a climax before Katt released its fury with a yell and throwing her arms towards him. Her scream was drowned out by the firestorm as it leaped from her body and straight for Ryu. He back-flipped a few times, dodging left and right as the incredibly powerful flames searched him out. Within a few seconds, he was back by the Champion’s entrance, trapped by the wall and the flames. Ryu executed almost the same move Katt had a few minutes ago, flipping once more to land feet first on the wall, then launching himself into the air. He shot up at an angle, passing over the seven foot tall wave of flame as it tore into the wall and the gate, leaving a smoldering, blackened hole.

As the last of the firestorm left her form, Katt felt weak and figured Baba must have been fried by whatever it was she’d released. She stood unsteadily, leaning heavily on her staff, looking a bit frazzled and exhausted, when Ryu landed almost directly in front of her. She feebly swung her staff, stumbling forward a little as she did so, but he ducked. As he ducked, he grabbed her tunic just above her chest, and pulled back, one foot on her chest, and catapulted her behind him, finishing off in a kneeling position. He didn’t want to hurt her.

Katt, however, was tossed into the air, too weak to land gracefully, and landed with a thump, face-down, a few meters from the burned down entrance. She tried to stand up, but only succeeded in rolling onto her back.

Still grimy and slightly toasted, Ryu watched as the crowd turned ugly, throwing apple cores, balled-up paper, and anything else they could get their hands on. Where is the archer?

***

High above, Henri was watching the fight with growing despair. He watched Katt’s fantastic fireball, and was ready to cheer, but quickly stopped when Ryu launched her across the arena. When she only rolled over, not rising again, he knew what he had to do. He shook his head and slowly raised the crossbow, taking careful aim at the young woman.

Nearby, Rand had also been watching the fight, but now saw Henri taking aim and cried out. “Henri! NO!!” He charged the smaller, heavily armoured human, bowling him over in a shoulder block, but not before the arrow had been released.

“Baba! Look out! Here comes the arrow!!!” He hollered to Ryu.

***

In the arena below, Ryu heard the armadillo-man’s warning, and, not considering his own safety, leaped across Katt’s limp form.

“No!” He cried out, as if to deny the arrow its target, but to no avail. Still, he managed to shield Katt with his own form, catching the arrow in the left shoulder. The arrow bit deep into his shoulder, and he yelped in pain. Protected under him, Katt opened her eyes in time to see Ryu crouched over her, an arrow protruding from his bare shoulder. Already, his white sleeveless shirt was turning bright red.

Seeing her regain consciousness, Ryu squinted through pain, exhaustion, and the poison to see Katt’s shocked, fearful expression. He moaned a little.

“Believe me now?” He asked, voice no more than a whisper, before passing out on top of her legs. Numbly, she pulled herself out from under his motionless form, only to sit staring.

From up above, she heard the armadillo-man, Rand, call out Baba’s name, then leap down the pit to land on the log, near them. He gathered the wounded young blue-haired man, then looked her over.

“If you want to help him, help me get him out of here.” He said before thundering off through the torched Champion’s entrance.

Katt sat, too shocked by the day’s events to even move for a while. Then she got up and walked slowly out of the arena, dragging her staff behind her.

*****

Ryu was still unconscious when Katt arrived at the inn. Rand had administered the antidote, but had failed to clean out Ryu’s wound properly, so the job was left to her. She had cleaned out his wounds, treated them with curative herbs, and bandaged them, before dealing with his bloodied shirt.

While she was letting his shirt soak, she watched as the antidote began to take effect, and the perspiration on Ryu’s forehead disappear. She began wondering what she should say when he woke up, being as he’d saved her from death, and she had thought he was lying. Also, while gazing at his muscular, bare chest, she found herself wondering if he was single. . .

“What’ll I say to him?” She asked herself. “‘Thank you for saving my life?’...No, no, that’s too pathetic. Maybe I’ll just. . . Nah, he probably doesn’t like that. . .”

“Like what?” Ryu sat up with a groan and shook his head, clearing away poison-induced cobwebs. Katt hopped up off the stool that she’d been sitting on near his bed.

“You’re awake!” She grinned with relief, then raised one eyebrow. “Hey, exactly how long have you been awake?”

He half-smiled. “Long enough to hear you questioning yourself.”

Ryu stood up and stretched, then realized he felt a draft. “Say, where’s my shirt?”

“Oh, over there in that wash basin.” Katt pointed to the mini-kitchen counter. “I didn’t get a chance to dry it yet, but you can probably . . .”

He slipped the wet shirt on and they watched as it dried almost immediately.

“. . .wring it out. . .” She trailed off. “Say, how’d you do that?”

He merely shrugged. “I dunno. I always seemed to be able to do that for some reason.”

At that moment, Ray rushed into the room. Seeing Ryu was alright, he smiled broadly. “I’m glad to see you’re alright, Ryu. When I heard you’d been poisoned, I hurried here to see if my magic could help you.”

He looked over at Katt and smiled kindly. “But it appears my services were not needed. You have done well in healing, child. St. Eva will reward you for your good deed.” He took her hand and kissed the back of it, even through the leather glove.

“Oh my.” Katt blushed and looked away shyly. She cradled the kissed hand like a fragile cermaic doll. Ray turned to Ryu, clasped arms with him, and was gone. Katt turned to Ryu.

“'Who was that masked man?'” She asked, using an old movie saying usually applied to mysterious strangers.

“Ray Braddock. A missionary and a friend of mine.”

“Why’d he call you Ryu, Baba?Hmm?” Katt raised an eyebrow. That gave Ryu pause.

“Uh, I’ll tell you later, but I have some business to take care of.”

Once he’d gathered all his stuff together, he made for the door, but was stopped by her, by her tapping on his shoulder.

“Yeah?”

“Um, I was wondering if I could come with you?” She was sort of uncomfortable asking this young man.

“Sure, but you do realize I’m gonna find out why Augustus was going to have us killed, don’t you?”

She nodded angrily. “Yeah, that’s why I wanna come with you. I need to ‘talk’ to Augustus. Really badly.”

Katt tightened her grip on her staff with one hand, and balled the other one into a fist. Ryu could tell she had a lot of issues to deal with, but he would definitely need her as support, if nothing else They made their way from the inn, across the town square to the Colosseum, encountering very little resistance from the guards. Apparently, it was a good idea to have Katt tag along, as she knew most everyone there. The ones she didn’t she intimidated them into submission with the ‘Evil Eye’ glare.

Soon, they had barged into Augustus’ office, with its twentieth-century architecture, ancient paintings, and large fireplace. Rand was still in there from when he left earlier, and Augustus was standing in front of the fireplace. He appeared unconcerned at their violent and unannounced entrance.

Rand stood up. “Baba, finally. Are you all right? I thought for sure you’d be a goner.”

“I’m okay, big guy.” Ryu nodded to him, then looked cruelly over at the back of Augustus as he and Katt pulled out their weapons. “But I WILL have to have a talk with your boss, though.”

“Yeah,” Katt growled at the man’s back. “Why’d’ya try to off me?! You stupid or something!?!”

Augustus merely chuckled quietly, still gazing intensely at the fire. The light from the flames made his shadow bigger and made it dance across the room like dark lightning.

“Are all the actors here?” He asked in a whisper. He turned his head slightly, and they all saw an inhuman gleam in his eye. “The scenario was written, but none of you liked it?. . .”

Ryu frowned. “What the hell are you babbling about, buddy?”

Augustus turned completely around, facing them. He pointed at Ryu.

“Cruel man was supposed to torture. . .” He pointed at Katt. “. . .beautiful girl, then kill her. But you didn’t follow the script.”

Rand became confused. “Boss, what are you talking about? Why’d you send an arrow to kill one of them?!”

“Because, oh shelled one, you humans’ rage and bloodlust would be sent straight to our God, the one God, and would become his strength.” He raised his arms, and something began to happen. Something evil.

“Now, you are charged with standing in the way of our God. . .” His small, skinny form began to grow, pulsating. He grew too big for the tight overcoat he was wearing; it tore open along the arms and chest to reveal rippling muscles under a taut, fur coat. The same happened with his legs and feet, bursting through their garments until Augustus was almost just wearing rags. The man’s nose and mouth extended outward, a canine countenance taking over, before splitting down the middle and forming two separate wolf heads, both fully formed and rabid-looking. He punched the floor and pulled two clubs out, and slammed them together.

“. . .And the sentence I shall deliver will be death!!!”

Katt immediately tensed up.

“He’s a friggin’ monster!” She snarled, spinning her staff in front of her. “What have you gotten us into Baba?!”

“I dunno, but I know someone here IS gonna die, and he was two heads!!!” Ryu yelled as he raced in and attacked Augustus, jumping up and slashing with his sword in an overhead chop.

Augustus countered by thrusting his massive gray clubs out in front of him, Ryu’s blade cutting in and wedging itself in both of them. But in doing that, Augustus left himself open to attack from behind.

While Ryu was pulling off his move/diversion, Katt had dashed forward underneath him, under the upraised clubs and down and behind the two-headed beast. Taking deliberate aim, she jabbed the end of her staff with the talons into the monster’s lower back. Augustus staggered a little, and tried to defend himself, but was too busy with Ryu to concentrate on the small woman. She pulled her bloodied staff out and plucked a ragged clump of bloody flesh off the end, making a disgusted face. Then she went back to her attack, slashing back and forth across the monster’s back with the clawed end of her staff.

On the other side, with Ryu, Rand was busy fighting one head and arm, while Ryu took on the other. Somehow, Augustus, through the pain of Katt’s and Ryu’s cuts, and the beating his left head was taking from Rand’s large fists, managed to get in a few good blows. At one point, he caught Ryu with an underhand swing that lifted him clear off his feet and stunned him, while jabbing Rand in the gut with the other club. When Rand doubled over, the two-headed wolf man put one foot on his shoulder and pushed off, sending Rand rolling backward, still breathless.

Now with two opponents temporarily out of the picture, he turned his attention on Katt. She ducked and jumped his swinging clubs, while dodging the snapping jaws of both heads, but she was steadily getting closer to the fireplace. The end of her tail was beginning to singe.

Glancing left and right, Katt searched for a quick exit, but all of them would have probably cost her a limb or more. She was about to stop and attack him head-on, when two massive gray hands clapped together on Augustus’s heads, and suddenly he was wreathed in a flurry of electrical bolts and lightning.

On the monster’s back, Rand called out to Katt. “Get outta there, now!”

She wasted no time leaping out of the way as Rand spun the beast around and hit it with a punch that connected with both heads, knocking Augustus for a loop and straight into the fireplace.

In pain and in anger at his defeat, Augustus roared as the flames roiled up to devour him. It was as if he was coated in gasoline, or some other flammable substance.

“You think you have defeated our God, just because you defeated me? You are very wrong! Our God shall rise from the ashes of this world!...” The flames enveloped him, and he was gone, burnt to a cinder.

Rand wafted the acrid smoke away from his face and looked at the charred remains of his former boss. “What a mess. . .What d’you suppose he meant by ‘Our God’ anyway? Did he mean the Dragon God, or St. Eva’s?”

“Nah,” Ryu replied, pulling his sword out of the wall where it had been flung near the end of the fight. “The Dragon God is peaceful. He wouldn’t send something like that to do his bidding. Besides, barely anyone prays to him anymore. Least, that’s what he told me. . .”

Katt and Rand just gaped.

“What?”

“You talked to the Dragon God himself?!?” Katt asked in disbelief.

“Well, he was using a statue as a physical body, but, yeah, I did. Why?”

Rand merely placed one massive hand on Ryu’s shoulder, and turned him towards the door.

“My friend, we need to talk. . .”

***

On the way out of the Colosseum, Ryu explained about his contact with the Dragon God, and about Bow being framed for theft, though he was innocent. He also let slip something about the ruined city on the other side of Mount Fubi.

“You mean you guys have your own town?” Rand asked, eyes lighting up.

Ryu shrugged. “Sort of. The place is really old and is pretty much abandoned, has been for I don’t know how many years. Why?”

“Well, maybe I can help rebuild it! You’ve seen how good I am with my hands, right? I can help repair it.” Rand was really anxious; rebuilding a ruined town wouldn’t be easy, but it was do-able. Besides, it was going to be a challenge, bringing it back to its original splendor.

“Well,” Ryu scratched the back of his head, considering. “All right, but you gotta keep it a secret. For now.”

“Deal.” They shook hands.

“Hey! Can I come too?” Katt piped up, popping up between the two of them. She grinned happily at Ryu.

“No, Katt.” Rand shook his head. “You oughta go home. This could be tough.”

She turned around and made a face at him.

“I don’t HAVE a home. I’ll go wherever Baba’s going.” She backed up a little and hooked elbows with him. Her tail wrapped tightly around his waist. Ryu looked up at Rand pleadingly. Finally, the big man cracked.

“Fine, fine! You can come.” Rand’s atlas-size shoulders slumped in defeat, but he quickly regained his tough demeanor. “But you have to work. Understand?”

Katt dismissed the question away with a blithe wave of her hand. “ Yeah yeah. I know. Repairs. I’ll work my hardest. . .”

She looked slyly over a shoulder in Ryu’s direction. “. . .Especially if Ryu will help me.”

Ryu suddenly found that his throat had dried up, and it was hard to speak; he swallowed heavily when Katt suddenly winked at him.

“Sure.” He croaked. Katt chuckled quietly. Rand clapped his hands together.

“Right. Now that that’s settled, let’s get going.” He began walking south, to the bridge and the coastal villages.

*****

Half a day later, they arrived at the base of the path leading around Mt. Fubi. After Ryu pointed out the safest way around the landslide, they began the rock-slide shortened trek across the mountain. The sun was just beginning to set when they reached the ruined city.

Rand gaped in awe at the fantastic, but heavily damaged structures as Ryu lead them through town to the city center. Even in the twilight, the darkened stone palisades caught his eye, and he marvelled at the craftmanship with which they had been created.

It wasn’t long before they reached the main building. Before Ryu could open the door, it opened by itself, and out walked Bow.

“Hey, Ryu!” He grinned. “You’re back!”

“Yeah man, and I brought a few guests with me.” He thumbed at Katt and Rand.

Bow stepped back inside and bowed politely at the waist. “Please, come in. Ryu can introduce us.”

Ryu nodded and walked in and greeted Niro. He was followed by Rand, who was still awestruck by the former glory of the town. It was only when Katt tried coming in that Bow stepped back in front of the door.

“Ryu,” Bow hissed through clenched teeth. He was giving Katt an evil look that reflected her own. “ What the hell is one of them doing following you?”

Katt looked over Bow’s shoulder to glare at Ryu. “Baba, what does this beast think he’s doing?”

“Uh, Bow?” Ryu placed one strong hand on his dog-man friend’s shoulder and led him away from the doorway, allowing Katt in. “Katt is the girl from the battle arena that I bested in combat. She is a friend of mine, and quite tough, so don’t mess with her.”

“Damn right!” Katt called from table where she had made herself comfortable, legs up and crossed on the table, leaning back in her chair. Already her staff was occupying the same corner as Bow’s crossbow.

“. . .And as for you!” Ryu cut her off, turning around and placing his fists on his sides. “Bow has been my friend and adoptive brother for more than ten years. Don’t mess with him either.. .”

He turned away from both of them, unsheathed his sword and ran one finger across the blade.

“. . .Or you both are going to have to deal with me.” He glared at them both, voice low and threatening. “Got it?”

Both the dog-man and the cat-girl nodded vigorously, the fear of his anger overpowering the natural hate between their two races. The Lupines and the Worens may have been blood-enemies for longer than anyone could remember, but neither of these two wanted to take Ryu on. His power seemed more than human.

“Good.” Ryu resheathed his blade and looked around. “Now, Niro and Bow, this is Rand and Katt. Rand, Katt, same deal, names reversed. My name is Ryu Bateson, not Baba Guru. The real Baba Guru I fought in the Tag Woods, and beat him for the right to face you, Katt. Sorry to deceive you like that.

“Now, seeing as it is so late,” He glanced outside. “I believe any further questions can wait till morning.”

With that, he walked upstairs, followed by Rand and Niro. It took a while for Katt and Bow to come to terms with their apparent alliance, and the consequences of fighting, before they retired for the evening. They made sure that neither of them had a room even remotely close to the other.

*****

The dream again. . .

He was little, and it was incredibly huge. . .

It, the black creature, looked down on him. . .

It threw back its massive, amorphous head and laughed.

In the distance, he could hear the screams and crying of his father, his sister, and of his friends.

Then the dark beast lifted one massive foot and. . .

***

Ryu awoke with a start. He looked around at the room he’d bunked in for the night; sunlight was streaming through the window, as well as through several holes in the ceiling. The blanket from his backpack that he’d slept under was soaked in cold sweat, as was his shirt.

What the hell was that about? He wondered. Deep down inside, he knew that some part of him had recognized it, but he was still confused. Why was the dream coming back after all these years?

Even more confusing, why hadn’t his shirt and blanket dried like his shirt had done in Coursair? They stayed wet and clinging even as he stumbled downstairs, into the trashed dining room. He could hear Katt’s and Bow’s raucous laughter as he pushed open the saloon-like doors.

Katt stopped laughing for a second to look him over and raise an eyebrow at his shirt, which clung to him like a second skin. “New look Bab -- Er, Ryu? I kinda like it!”

“C’mon siddown man,” Bow motioned for him. “We saved you a spot.”

“We had to,” Katt added. “Rand takes up a full side.”

Ryu slowly approached the table and sat down between the two of them. Bow looked over at him and noticed the far-away look in his eyes.

“Hey Ryu, what’s wrong? Not a good night?”

The blue-haired teen merely gave him a tired-eyed smile, before going back to the bowl of cereal that someone, possibly Rand or Niro, had slid in front of him. “I had a strange dream last night.”

“Ooo, a strange dream?” Katt cooed, turning to face him. She pulled her knees up onto the seat in front of her. “Was I in it?”

“Was I in it?” Bow asked. Ryu slowly looked at one, then the other, then back to his bowl, where he stirred the limp flakes a bit. He stayed silent for a time.

“Well?!?” Katt and Bow asked again, this time in sync. They were becoming impatient.

“Yeah,” Ryu answered finally, not looking up. “You both were in it. You two, Rand, Niro, my sister, my father, and a few others I couldn’t see. I knew they were there though. But it wasn’t a good dream. It. . .I don’t know. It just scared me a little.”

A foreboding silence fell upon the trio, and the ruckus in the kitchen slowed to a stop. Finally, Katt broke the uncomfortable silence.

“You. . .knew your parents?” She chose her words carefully. They were entering a touchy area now. The joy and laughter from a moment ago was gone now.

“Yeah. At least, I think I did. It was so long ago, I barely remember.” Ryu took a sip of orange juice. “I know my mother’s dead, but my father and sister vanished when I was really little, just before I met Bow.”

He sat back and thought for a moment. “Say, you know what? My father was the priest in my hometown, Gate. The day he vanished with my sister, another priest showed up, and no one in town recognized me, or that my father had ever lived there. They claimed that the other priest had been there since the beginning. I wonder why that is?”

Katt shrugged. “I never knew my parents. My first memories are of being caught for shoplifting in the Windia. I’ve been searching for my parents ever since. It seems strange that, in all my life, I’ve never seen another Woren. Not one.”

She looked at Bow. “What about you? Where are your parents?”

Bow leaned back and closed his eyes. “They died in a war with your people a long time ago. I guess. . .that’s why I hated you when I first saw you. All I could see was the image of the barbarians that had murdered my parents. . .”

“I’m sorry.” Katt mumbled apologetically. “I really mean it.”

“S’okay.” Bow dismissed it. “It’s not your fault. Not like your parents killed them or anything. Forget it.”

Ryu ate his breakfast in relative silence; Bow and Katt went back to telling jokes and personal stories, and at a few of them he chuckled at as Bow changed the facts to make him the hero.

“. . .So there we were, at least fifty, three-foot long cockroaches on all sides, when Ryu leapt into the fray. He cut down a whole bunch of them, but the swarmed him, and I had to come to his rescue.” Bow fibbed, scuffing his nails on his tunic’s front. “Me and my trust crossbow saved the day, rescuing both Ryu and Niro.”

Katt eyed him suspiciously. “Really. . . Is that how it happened, Ryu?”

The blue-haired teen gave a half-smirk as he took a sip of juice. “Sure, if you believe the Dragon God is a small furry mammal.”

All three broke out laughing, deep and hearty, before Rand came in and the laughter died away. Niro had been giving him a tour, and now he was sure he could fix at least this building. The others were another story.

“Well, I’ve made my choice;” Rand stated, rubbing his palms together. “I’m gonna stay here and rebuild this place.”

Niro had followed Rand in. He peeked out around the ten-foot tall armadillo’s waist. “I’m gonna need more than just this big guy, y’know. What’d’ya say?”

“I’ll help.” Bow nodded. He stood up.

“I’ll help too!” Katt grinned, hopping out of her seat and reaching for her staff. Bow’s eyes suddenly widened with fearful realization.

He pulled Ryu out of his seat by his ponytail and into a corner.

Whispering, he said. “Ryu, I know Katt’s a nice person, and she’s strong, but I’m afraid she’ll break something if I give her a job. Please take her with you! I’m pleading, man!”

They stood in the corner debating quietly, before Katt’s ears perked up when she caught her name. She bounced over.

“Hey you two! What’cha talkin’ ‘bout me for? My ears are burning. . .”

Both teens spun around to face the short cat-girl. Bow pulled lightly on his collar as Ryu cleared his voice and answered.

“Ahem,. . . Katt? We feel it be much better if you helped me locate the girl responsible for Bow’s false conviction. I’ve never been very far north, and it IS better to move in numbers, so will you do me the honour of accompanying me?”

Katt thought for a few seconds. Me. Alone in the wilderness. With Ryu. She smiled a small, secretive smile and arched an eyebrow. Then, regaining her bouncy demeanor, grinned widely. Between both Ryu and Bow, seeing this smile appear and then disappear to be replaced by a grin, a look of recognition passed. Their thoughts mirrored Katt’s but with a little apprehension instead of imagination. They knew what she was thinking.

“Sure! This place is kinda boring anyway.”

She lashed her tail out and flicked Ryu’s sword, still in sheath, towards him. “Catch.”

The movement caught him off guard, and he fumbled it. Tossing it over his shoulder, he had to throw his arms up in front of his face to prevent himself from getting hurt; Katt had blindly tossed pieces of his meager armour in his general direction. Even Bow had to duck as a knee guard chipped old paint off the wall where he had been standing.

“Hey! Watch it!” Ryu yelped, an unaimed gauntlet bouncing off the floor right in front of his face, as he finished tightening one of the knee guards.

When he finished, he turned to Bow and clasped his friend’s arm. “Well, now we go to find the true culprit.”

“Take care, old friend.” Bow said, poker-faced.

“Ryu. Maybe you should go check the town where you two used to live.” Rand suggested. “I hear there’s a winged girl at the Magic School there. Maybe she’s the crook?”

Ryu thought about the Magic School; the large building on the edge of town, surrounded on all sides with a seven-foot wall of stone, save for the main gate, which was almost always locked. There were tales that strange things went on in there, and at night, you could sometimes see flashes of blue, red, and green through its windows.

“Yeah, maybe. . . HEY!” He cried out because Katt, in her impatience, had wrapped her tiger-striped tail around his waist and was pulling him out the door. He was absolutely at her mercy. Just the way she liked it.

“We’ll see you when we get back!” She called from the street.

Just out the door, Ryu pulled himself from her tail, and watched her continue on, strong and determined.

“She makes a good ally, Ryu.” A voice came from just around the corner of the building. Surprised, Ryu poked his head around the corner, then stepped fully around and dropped to one knee.

“M’Lord.” The Dragon God, using one of the many dragon statues around the ruins, sat with one stone hand beneath his long snout, a forlorn, almost envious look in his eyes. He waved Ryu’s subservient bow away with his other hand.

“You don’t need to bow when you speak with me, Ryu. You ARE the reincarnation of the legendary Warrior, are you not?” His divine gaze settled on Katt, now stopped in the middle of the road and tapping one foot. “She is a fine warrior, my disciple. And very beautiful. I, a god, almost envy you as a mortal. You have what I could never in my eternity ever achieve, even with all my power.”

“What would that be?” Ryu asked, confused. He looked back at Katt, who was now walking back towards him, obviously curious and furious.

“If I tell you, you will never find out for yourself. Do not worry about it. Eventually, you will eventually come to realize what I mean.”

“Yes sire. Perhaps someday I will. . .” He closed his eyes and continued to kneel.

“Ryu? Who were you talking to?” Katt came up beside him, and touched his shoulder. She looked up in front of him.

“I was talking to the. . .” Ryu looked up. The statue was back in its ferocious, snarling position. It was once again, merely cold stone. “. . .Dragon God.”

“Really? What’s he like anyway?” She followed is eyes as he stood up. “Is he nice, or vindictive, or what?"

“He’s. . . Interesting.” Ryu looked away from the statue and into Katt’s eyes. “He always listens to what you have to say, and never interrupts. You can talk to him about what ever you want.”

They began to walk away, beginning the first few steps on a journey back to Ryu’s old town. When they were some distance down the road, Katt felt someone watching her. She stopped and spun around. In the distance, she could see the Dragon Shrine with its stone statue. Her mouth dropped open in surprise. The statue was in a different position.

 

 

Chapter Three: Kidnapping