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Standard disclaimer: I don’t own this series, just my ideas and the story :)
AN: wow, another chapter ^_^ Heh, I have two more reviews!!! Yipee!!! Hee, Anime Monkey and Nina Windia have wowed me again with their generous reviews. Thanks guys! Getting reviews telling me that I don’t suck and this story is actually good (or semi-good, depending on who you ask) really makes my day :)
Nina Windia: Um… I think that kodachi are a pair of Japanese short swords. Are you familiar with Taki from the Soul Caliber series? If you are, then the pair of short swords that Taki uses are similar to the weapons that Yuki uses. If not, then, well… yeah. Yuki’s weapons are a pair of short swords; a little longer than daggers. Okay, I think I confused myself ^_^;;;
About Jin’s name… okay. Heh, at the time I was naming the character, I didn’t think much about it… but now that you mention it… rotflmao! Haha! Oh my gosh! It actually DOES sound like something a genie would be named! ~snicker~ I can totally see that! by all means, tell me this stuff! I love hearing what readers think about some of the stuff I write. Glad you liked Nina’s introduction :)
Anime Monkey: Glad you liked the chapter :)
Demus sighed as he paced around the spacious hotel room that he was currently renting. When the owner of one of Crete’s finest hotels, the Golden Archer, heard that the Prince of Dragnier wanted to rent a room, he pulled out all the stops. So, Demus was granted the best suite in the hotel.
The room had an entire wall as a window that overlooked the night skyline. The other three walls were a pale blue and the large, wooden double doors were a pale beige color. There was large, liquid screen television was sitting up against the right wall, with a pair of large speakers on either side of the screen. Several potted houseplants were littered around the room. A large, leather sofa was in the center of the room, with a wooden coffee table in front of it. At the far side of the room was a king-size bed.
He just couldn’t figure it out. How in Ladon’s name did those two BRATS manage to slip out of his sight?
Ms. Stephens had proven to be very helpful in aiding him with knowledge in regards to Dr. Uzuki. He thought the name sounded familiar when he heard the name of that girl that was currently traveling with that…THING.
Demus growled as he clenched his fists so tight that his nails drew droplets of blood. He had no interest in the girl; he just wanted that boy dead.
Demus was pulled out if his musings by a light rasp on the double doors.
“Sire?” the voice of Molly Stephens sounded from the other side of the door. “Is everything alright?”
“Oh,” Demus said. “Of course, Miss. Everything is fine.”
“Do you require anything?”
“No, I am fine,” Demus said. He heard Molly respond fine and heard her high heels clacking in the opposite direction.
Demus sighed again and sat down on the sofa. He didn’t exactly want Molly Stephens to accompany him, but her… eagerness and knowledge as a history teacher were proving to be most useful.
Most useful indeed.
Now, as for Dr. Uzuki. If he was the same man from that night four years ago…
Then he may have a problem…
“Okay, um… maybe this whole adventure thing wasn’t such a good idea after all…” Yuki sighed.
“Really?” Nina questioned. “I think it’s rather exciting!”
“I guess you would,” Yuki rolled her eyes.
“I mean, really!” Nina giggled. “I am on an adventure with two powerful warriors that just saved a princess and, and…”
“Um, reality check!” Yuki said as she held up her pointer finger. “Ryu and I are not powerful warriors, though you ARE a princess. And… yeah, we did save you… but you also kicked ass…”
Nina made a face at Yuki. “Didn’t your parents teach you proper language?”
“Nope… well… that’s not entirely true. My mom did teach me not to say swear words, but she’s not here, is she?”
“Um, touchy much?” Nina asked.
“Nope, not really,” Yuki said.
“Well, at least we get to be heroic!” Nina laughed.
“Um, crouching behind a bunch of smelly dumpsters doesn’t exactly shout ‘heroic,’ does it?” Ryu had to cover his mouth to keep from giggling.
Yuki and Nina looked over at Ryu and sighed. The boy had a point. The three of them were currently hiding out in a back alley, behind a bunch of dumpsters. Yuki idly thought about this was how she met Ryu.
Despite being a princess, Nina was having no trouble sneaking around and getting dirty. What kind of princess in their right mind enjoyed this type of thing? Yuki considered herself a tomboy, but even this was pushing it…
“Hee, crouching tiger!” Nina suddenly laughed as she jumped to all fours and acted like she was going to pounce.
“Eh?” Ryu asked, not taking the time to glance back at Nina. He was too busying watching for any royal guardsmen or Rangers looking for a certain runaway princess.
“Oh!” Yuki giggled. “I loved that movie! Now… um what was it about again?”
Nina glanced over Ryu’s shoulder. “Think the coast is clear?”
“Not by a long shot,” Ryu sighed again.
Ryu’s day was quickly going down hill. He was tired, depressed, and…
“I’m hungry!” Nina griped.
Annoyed…
“I’m getting sleepy,” Yuki yawned.
Irritated…
“Okay,” Ryu finally said. “If we can get out of Wyndia unnoticed, we can set up camp outside the city. Okay?”
“Sounds good,” Yuki said.
“Real camping!” Nina laughed. “Okay, let’s go!”
“Um, we might get caught… your wings are kinda a dead giveaway Nina.”
“Oh, right!” Nina nodded. Her back tensed for a brief moment. Her small wings twitched and then slid into her shoulder blades. She shrugged her shoulders and grinned. “Better?”
Yuki and Ryu just stared with their mouths open as Nina just continued grinning. She finally got irritated and tapped them on their heads. Ryu just shook his head.
“Uh… how did you do that?”
“Um, practice?” Nina giggled.
“Works for me,” Ryu said as the three of them started to get up. “I mean, its not like anything ELSE strange has happened or anything. Nope, nothing of the sort. Yuki didn’t teleport her short swords and our stuff by just SHOUTING the NAMES of said objects or anything. Or PRINCESS NINA or anything. Nope. Nor did she SHOOT LIGHTNING OUT OF HER FREAKING HANDS OR ANYTHING! And now Nina can HIDE HER WINGS BY PULLING THEM INTO HER BACK!!! IT MAKES PERFECT SENSE!!!”
“I think the stress has gotten to him,” Yuki said as Nina nodded sagely.
The brats were going to die.
He didn’t know how or when, but those three upstarts were going to get it. By sword or by gun, they would die by his hands.
“Hey boss?” a wiry young man with blond hair and a pair of dog-ears said. The boss, the Highlander thief glared at the quarter-plainsrunner.
“What Jenkin?!” the Highlander growled.
“Just wonderin’ what yer gonna do about the princess and those two brats,” Jenkin said. The large, cloaked figure behind Jenkin nodded.
The Highlander paused. The three of them had woken up a few hours ago to massive headaches. For just children, they were really strong. Or so he kept telling himself. It wouldn’t do for Zake, second-in-command of the Taobashi Thieves Guild to be took out by a bunch of kids, one of them being a pampered palace brat.
The three of them continued walking along the busy streets of Wyndia. Massive buildings and skyscrapers towered over the busy citizens as they went about their businesses. Several Manillo clansmen had set up shop on several of the street corners and would try and stop tourists and try to get them to buy a souvenir. Nine out of ten times would succeed.
Zake didn’t care about any of that. He just wanted the award money that came with nabbing that brat. He really didn’t think the king of Wyndia was such a bastard.
The large, cloaked companion stopped a few feet in front of Zake and Jenkin. The figure gestured a large, gloved hand towards one of the alleyways. Zake and Jenkin looked over and spotted the three children quietly slipping into the masses.
Zake nodded. “We go after them!”
Ryu sighed as he readjusted his backpack. Yuki and Nina stood behind him and looked around. Noting the coast was clear, the three began their walk to leave the massive city. After walking a few blocks against the setting sun, Yuki’s head snapped up. She grabbed Nina and Ryu and started running while dragging them.
Ryu and Nina tried to protest, but figured something was up, so they started to run with Yuki. Nina took the time to look behind her and saw the three bandits running after them. Nina rolled her eyes and picked up the pace.
The three weave and darted around people, trying their best to avoid them. They were met with angry glares and some strange sounding words that Nina was pretty sure she was better off NOT knowing what they meant.
Nina, knowing Wyndia better than the other two, decided to take the lead of this little chase and kept darting into blind alleys and sharp street corners. Yuki told herself she would never again complain about the three-mile mad dash to school.
Ryu was quite impressed about how the princess was able to keep up with him. Hell, he was impressed about how a city girl like Yuki could keep up with him. It was almost like the three of them could read each other’s movements and just stepped in line with the other.
Bunyan taught him to open his mind to nature, and it would guide him. The cities had always bothered him. He preferred the open spaces of the forests. The sounds of nature were much more preferable than the loud racket of the city.
Ryu looked out of the corner of his eye and spotted the three bandits gaining on them. He motioned for Yuki and Nina to look and the three tried to pick up their paces. How they managed to avoid the Rangers or guards was a mystery for the ages. Apparently, Nina was very well adapted for this whole run-and-hide deal.
Ryu’s body suddenly jerked forward. He grabbed his head as his vision swam. He halted in his movements as the area in front of him started to flash white and back to normal with each beat of his heart. He moaned in pain as he fell to his knees. It felt like someone took a double-bedded ax and slammed it into his skull.
Yuki and Nina turned around and ran back over to Ryu. The three bandits finally closed in and made a grab for Ryu. Yuki and Nina jumped forward prepared to fight to protect their ailing friend.
The Highlander jumped forward first and was met with Nina’s foot in his face. Nina jumped back and assumed a fighting position.
“What the hell?!” Zake screamed. “You can fight?!”
“Well, DUH!” Nina said as she spun around and kicked Zake in the side of the waist.
“Don’t you get tired of getting your asses handed to you?” Yuki said as she moved her hands in front of her face.
Ryu weakly glanced up and spotted the large figure raise their hand. They started to chant something in a deep, booming voice. Yuki apparently noticed the spell being cast, too. She held her hands up, palms forward and started a chant of her own.
When the large one’s chant was finished, a ribbon of fire lanced out and headed straight for Yuki and Nina. Yuki grinned as she finished her chant.
“MIRROR OF LIGHT! REFLECT WIZARDRY SPITE!” a light shield appeared around the three and blocked the fire. The fire ribbon dispersed upon hitting the light shield.
“A white mage?” Jenkin asked.
“No, not really!” Yuki said as white lightning laced around her hands and lower arms. She swung the lightning around like a lasso and struck Jenkin, knocking him back.
Zake and the large guy turned around and looked in the direction that Yuki had launched Jenkin. Nina and Yuki took that moment to grab up Ryu and take off in a sprint.
A few minutes, and a few blocks later, Yuki and Nina paused in their running, and let Ryu sit down. The city was like a maze. If Nina wasn’t with them, Yuki was sure that they would have been lost long ago.
Ryu sighed as he sat down on the ground. He looked up at Nina and Yuki and smiled weakly.
“Thank guys… I don’t know what happened to me…” Ryu said.
“It’s fine,” Yuki said.
“We need to find a place to rest for a bit,” Nina said. She looked around and spotted a nightclub a few feet away. The sign above the double doors read “Angel Wing.” Nina took this as a sign from the gods and turned back to Ryu and extended a hand to help him up.
Yuki nodded. “What do we have to lose?”
The three walked over to the nightclub and looked at the seemingly oak double doors. Yuki and Nina slowly pushed the doors opened and the three entered. The lights were dimmed, but that was probably to be expected. There was no one in the club, probably due to the fact it was hardly even twilight yet and nightclubs tend to be busy at night.
They walked down the stairs and into the actual main room of the club. Tables and chairs littered the far side of the room to the left and there was a wide area more towards the center and right of the room, probably for dancing. There was a massive stereo system near the right wall with giant speakers. Red sofas were next to the sound system. A counter with stools lined up against the back wall.
A young woman with shoulder length black hair and dark purple highlights was sitting on one of the stools, drinking from a mug that most likely had alcohol in it. She was dressed in a black leather corset, a long black skirt that fell to her ankles and black ankle boots. She had on elbow length black gloves and had multiple piercings in her ears.
She idly looked up from her mug and turned her attention to the three children. She turned in her seat and stood up. She quietly walked over to the three and stared down at them from her 5”7 height advantage.
“Um…” Yuki stuttered. Ryu and Nina decided to elect Yuki as their spokesperson and took a large step back.
The woman looked down at Yuki and stared at her necklace.
“A fey?” the woman said, then shook her head. “No, you’re human,” she looked over at Ryu and Nina. “Heh, nice try at hiding your wings, kid. I have to say I am impressed,” the woman looked over at Ryu. Ryu looked really nervous and started to shake his head rapidly.
Ryu gulped. If this woman was able to tell that Nina was a Wyndian, then she might…
“So, what are two humans and a Wing clansman doing in my nightclub?” the woman asked.
“Um, we’re…” Ryu started, but Yuki elbowed him in the ribs. “Ouch.”
“We are, um… our friend here got sick and we just needed a place to sit down for a moment…” Yuki said.
“Okay,” the woman said. “But a nightclub? Come on. You guys can’t be any older than ten, eleven most.”
“I’m twelve,” Yuki said.
“Ten,” Nina replied.
“Eleven,” Ryu said.
“Okay,” the woman said. “So, right…” the woman crossed her arms. “Do you need to sit, or are you alright now?”
Ryu nodded his head. “Well, I…” Before Ryu could get another word out, Zake and his two buddies busted down the double doors.
“There you brats are!” Zake growled.
Jenkin and the third guy jumped forward. Jenkin pulled out his halberd and tried to bring it down on Ryu. Ryu dodged the halberd, but a table and several chairs were smashed as a result. Zake yelled and launched fireball after fireball at Nina and Yuki, but managed to miss them each time. The fireballs, however, did not miss the stereo system and speakers.
The woman looked highly annoyed and gave the cloaked figure a warning look. The figure bowed and stood back as its less than intelligent friends trashed up the nightclub with magic and weapon.
Before Yuki or Nina could counter, the woman stepped forward and shot a fireball from her hand. It struck at Zake and sent him flying across the room. The woman turned to the three children and made a nodding motion with her head towards the door.
Yuki, Nina, and Ryu didn’t have to be told twice. They bolted for the doors and ran out of the nightclub.
The woman looked at the three bandits and growled. “I am only going to say this once. Get out of my nightclub before I FRY you!”
“And who are you suppose to be?” Zake grumbled.
“Oh, no one important,” the woman said with a laugh. “But just for future reference, my name is Manna Sphere.”
“Oh…” Jenkin said. Then the realization dawned on him. “Oh! Oh shit!”
“What’s your problem?” Zake said. “You act like this little woman is some kind of war mage or something!”
“Um…” Jenkin stuttered.
“Close,” Manna grinned. “NOW GET OUT OF MY NIGHTCLUB!!!” Manna yelled as she made a gesture with her hand and sent all three bandits out of the club and onto the streets. Manna watched as the three high tailed it out of sight.
Manna grinned, but then took a look at her club. “Well great. What a mess…”
Ryu, Yuki, and Nina managed to make it out of the city before nightfall. The three of them had set up camp for the night and were currently sitting on the ground around a small bonfire. Yuki had found a map of Asparia in her backpack. If she got around to it, she thought she might want to thank Jin at some point.
The three of them were currently looking at the map and trying to figure out what to do next. For a while the three just stared at the map, and then back at the fire. Ryu finally cleared his throat to get the other twos attention.
Ryu turned to Nina. “You sure you want to come with us? Last chance to turn back.”
Nina shook her head. “Those bandits are after all three of us. We need to stick together. Besides, I return to the castle now, they’ll just come after me. Geez, how many times do I have to repeat myself?”
Ryu sighed and nodded. “Point taken,” Ryu said as he picked up the map. “Okay, we are outside of Wyndia. The closest place is… uh, I guess Tantar…”
“We are going to want to head for Collosia,” Yuki said, taking the map. “There’s a port there. We can hitch a ride and go to Rhalpha, and um… I guess try to get to the Urkan Region from there… another boat maybe?”
“Yeah, but the Rhalpha Region’s allied with Dragnier. Not to mention that Dragnier’s really close to the two regions.”
“Great. More problems…” Ryu sighed. “Well, we can’t figure anything else out right now. Might as well get some sleep.”
To be continued…