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Standard disclaimer: I don’t own the series.
AN: Boy, I cannot think up a good title for this story to save my life. Um… yeah. Remember that part in Rhalpha where you have to repair the lighthouse? Yeah, I hated that part of the game. Incidentally, I think I’ve been spelling the name of the city wrong. All well. Well, it’s a hard name to spell.
…
I guess karma’s catching up with me over the cymosion thingy spelling. Ha! Figures.
Right, anyway, I thought the title would be appropriate for this part of the story. For some reason, I love the fairy village. It does play a nice little part in this fanfic… especially for two of the characters… (snicker) Oh, and anyone who has played BoF III WILL notice the similarities to something in this story. (Like Nina busting Ryu out of jail, the tournament, etc. wasn’t similar enough). Okay, I basically ripped off the plot during that part of the game. Well, it works well with what happens next. (nervous giggle) Oh, how I hated training Beyd. How I hated it. I did enjoy pounding him with Ryu’s flame dragon though. Gave Beyd the Claymore to help him, too. He still couldn’t take my level 22 Ryu down. Though, for some reason he was able to take Zig down. Whatever. The game mechanics never did make sense to me.
Right. Now the reviews:
Anime Monkey: YAY! You don’t hate me anymore! Now… um can you call off the angry lynch mob carrying pitchforks and torches??? O.o;;; they’re beginning to scare my flying monkeys. j/k! Anyway, yeah. I thought it would be pretty interesting if Deis was issuing Garr’s orders. Um, sorry about that. Ryu doesn’t know much about the disease. Uh, that’s one of the reasons that Seeker was studying it. He wanted to know more about the disease and why it reacts the way it does to Brood hybrids. Ah yes. Where IS the king of Dragnier? Heh, wanna know why Demus wanted to keep what he was doing secret? Well, um… look behind you! (runs away) lol just kidding. The king doesn’t know Ryu is alive at this point. Gideon (the king) wasn’t at Lahan when it was attacked. Demus was, though. Well, I hope you like this chapter. Thanks for the review! You rock!
Anonymous: Well, hello again. Nice to see that I didn’t scare you off (smiles). See, I do that a lot. Lol Nah, anyway, glad you love the story so far. I can only hope that I continue to do my best for you guys. THANKIES!!!
Nina Windia: Hiya! Thanks for the reviews!!! Hee, hee. I thought that the conversation between Garr and Deis would be funny. It’s just so much fun to write dialog for them… for some reason. (smiley) Heh… yeah. I thought it might be a bit risky for Yuki to hate dragons, but I’m glad about how it came out. Makes for some interesting read anyway. I didn’t want Yuki to be all “you’re a dragon, so you suck!” I wanted there to be a foundation for her fear and hatred. Just too bad she had to find out the hard way about one of her new buddies being a dragon. Yuki’s… not completely irrational. I’ll just say that for now. Hee, thanks. Glad you liked the twist with Ryu and Demus.
Thanks to anyone else who read the story.
So… um… onto Rhalpha!
Enjoy!
Rhalpha is a port town located in the Rhalpha Region. Rhalpha is responsible for most of the export of the world’s goods, making it a city of trade and commerce. The town was once known as Capitan, but was changed to Rhalpha. When it was known as Capitan, the city was more like a small village and was the home to several world famous carpenters. The name was changed when the town became a huge port city and to also reflect on the name of the region.
Back in the day, if one wanted to get to the Urkan Region or beyond, one would have to take a boat. But now in this day and age, with all of the advances in technology, one can take anything from a salvage ship to a freighter to even a cruise ship to anywhere around the world.
Just like Wyndia has control over the air, Rhalpha has control over the sea. The Porter’s Guild is mostly in charge of controlling the waterways by keeping them clear and they also prevent piracy.
The city’s lighthouse is its main feature. Standing since the Third Cycle, the lighthouse has been the main source of light to guide the ships back to harbor. It stands as a monument, a testament to the times of when the world was still small. Of when humanity began to understand the actual concept of machines and how they worked.
Now however…
“WHAT?!” a heavyset, middle-aged man screamed from behind his desk. “What do you mean that the lighthouse won’t work?”
The office of the Guildmaster was a medium-sized room with a large wooden oak desk at the back of the room, with several large stacks of papers and documents on it. A black laptop also adorned the desk. There were several chairs littered throughout the office. There was a large window at the back of the desk that shown in the majority of the light and several smaller windows on the left and right side of the office.
A nervous young man with brown hair and glasses stood in front of the Guildmaster and wiped the sweat off of his brow. “It’s just as I said, the light in the lighthouse will not work. There seems to be some kind of… thing… at the top that will not allow anyone near it and…”
“No excuses!” the man snapped. “I want a team up there RIGHT NOW to fix the problem!”
“With all due respect, sir,” the young name said. “Can’t the ships just use the navigation equipment on their ships to steer them into harbor until we can fix the problem with the lighthouse?”
The Guildmaster’s face turned a nice shade of red. “The lighthouse is a national landmark! It’s a part of what makes Rhalpha so great! How dare you say that we can get along without it! Go and tell Zig and his crew to go fix the lighthouse right now Lee!”
The young man, Lee, merely sighed a ‘yes sir’ and slink out of the office. Zig was gong to fix the lighthouse? He had hoped that talking to the Guildmaster about the problem first would allow for him to fix the light, but he had managed to screw that up particularly well. Now what was he going to do?
“OW!” Yuki screamed as Nina and Sari landed on top of her back. Deis’ spell managed to get them right outside of the city, but her landings were less than perfect.
A cloaked Garr was currently laying on the soft grass next to the busy road that led to the entrance of the city. Yuki was on top of him. On top of her was Sari and Nina and on top of the girls was a frazzled and dazed Ryu. Standing a few feet away from the party was an amused Deis.
The wind blew gently as Deis walked over to the large stone wall that surrounded the port city. She walked over to the entrance of the city and onto the cobble stone sidewalk. Cars zoomed by and people quickly stopped to look at the odd group.
Deis smirked and waved them off. Several people shrugged and went about their business. Deis glanced over to her companions and rolled her eyes.
“Oi, get your arses up! We need to get a boat and soon as possible! Move it people!” Deis shouted as she entered the city.
The kids jumped up off of Garr. The Guardian grunted slightly and stood up. He adjusted his cloak and hood and looked down at the foursome. Yuki grinned sheepishly and walked off after Deis. Nina and Sari quickly bolted after Yuki and Ryu slowly started after them.
Garr placed a hand on Ryu’s shoulder, causing the young dragon to stop and glance up at the Guardian.
“Do not let what Miyuki said get to you. What was said, was said in anger and confusion.”
“She didn’t tell you to drop dead,” Ryu grumbled. “And I don’t even know where Nina stands in all of this…”
“They are your friends,” Garr said. “They willingly followed you when they knew what dangers it would mean. They will stand with you when it most matters.”
Ryu blinked. “I hope you’re right.”
“Yo!” Nina yelled. “Deis said to get moving, or she’ll turn you both into frogs!”
Garr and Ryu looked at each other and snickered. They then both picked up their pace and met up with the impatient Sorceress. Deis nodded and the six strolled down the cobble streets looking for the Guild’s main office.
Ryu noticed something. Like Wyndia, Rhalpha was a mostly modern looking city, complete with cars. Loud and annoying cars. But unlike Wyndia, which had giant buildings made of steel and skyscrapers, Rhalpha’s buildings were much smaller. The houses were made of wood instead of steel, though some of the roofs had tin on them.
Rhalpha must have been trying for a more authentic feel to it. It worked. Ryu felt more at ease here than he did in the more crowded cities like Crete and Wyndia. Deis turned to the group and glanced over at the Porter’s Guild main office.
“Garr and I are going to see what we can do about getting a ship. You four… stay out of trouble,” Deis said.
Garr looked at Deis for a moment. “Excuse me… erk!” Garr was cut off by Deis grabbing him by the collar of his cloak and pulling him off to the office.
Ryu looked at the girls. “Now what?” he asked.
Yuki looked over at Nina and Sari. “Any ideas?”
Nina shrugged. “I dunno, look around?”
And with that, the four took off towards the port.
Deis and Garr walked into the downstairs pub that was attached to the main part of the office. The woman at the front desk told the two that the Guildmaster could be found there.
“You know, this could mark the beginning of a really funny joke…” Deis whispered to Garr. The Guardian merely rolled his eyes.
The pub itself housed a wooden bar along the left side of the room, with several people sitting on wooden stools along the bar table. Various other tables were scattered around the right side of the room. A bartender was on the other side of the bar table, wiping down a dirty mug.
There was a television mounted to the wall that was currently broadcasting the news about Dragnier’s prince being in critical condition after an unknown opponent attacked him at Collosia.
Deis inclined her head slightly toward the TV and Garr merely nodded. She hoped Salla would keep her word about what happened.
Another news report talked about the disappearance of Wyndia’s Princess Nina. Deis snickered a little as she heard it.
Deis walked over to the bartender and asked him to point out the Guildmaster. She followed his pointed finger and saw a very drunk middle-aged man in the corner of the bar, nursing a mug.
Deis walked over to the man and tapped him on the shoulder. After the third tap, Deis whapped him upside the head. The man yelled and jerked around and glared at Deis.
“What do you want?” the man spat out.
Deis grinned evilly and placed her hands on her hips. “I need a boat to the Urkan Region, now!”
“No can do, lady!” the Guildmaster laughed.
Garr appeared behind of Deis and cracked his knuckles. “Oh?” Garr rumbled. “And why is that?”
The Guildmaster took a gulp from his mug and stood up. “All shipping lanes are closed until the lighthouse can be fixed. No exceptions.”
Garr mentally rolled his eyes. Oh, how this seemed so familiar. Apparently Deis thought the same thing, because her left eye twitched.
“And… how long will that be?”
“Dunno,” the Guildmaster said as he took another drink from his mug. “I sent team after team up to fix the lighthouse, but they can’t seem to do it.”
Deis nodded and crossed her arms. “I see. It seems we have a problem then.”
“Oi, I don’t really have time to talk to you right now!” the Guildmaster waved the two of them off. “If you want to know about ships… go talk to my daughter. She’s in charge of the ships…”
The Guildmaster sat back down and started mumbling to himself. Deis turned to Garr and both of them walked out of the pub. Deis grumbled and crossed her arms in a huff.
“Who does he think he is…? I mean, really! Talking to me that way…!”
Garr placed his hands on his belt and cracked his neck. “It would seem like there is no way to reach the Urkan Region. Nothing short of Warping there, anyway.”
Deis shook her head. “Too bad the land had to change so much. If I recall correctly, didn’t there use to be a land bridge that connected the two continents?”
“Much can change in 500 years, Lady Deis,” Garr said. “Landmasses DO move and locations change.”
Deis nodded. “And I managed to snag one of my sister’s former toadies to do my bidding!” Deis grinned.
Garr gave Deis a look of disdain.
The pier was a bustling place, full of people fishing and talking. Ryu grinned as he watched someone pull in a large fish. Ah, this would have been a wonderful place to go fishing.
Yuki idly looked around. “So, now what…? Hm?”
The four noticed a young woman with blond hair pulled back in a bandana, dressed in a tang-top and shredded shorts, standing next to a geeky looking guy with brown hair and glasses. The two where standing in front of a really beefy bald man with massive muscles, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and blue jeans. A Highlander male was standing next to the muscle head.
“It’s settled,” the bald man said. “Just what the Guildmaster said.”
Apparently, they had walked in on a conversation.
“But… Zig!” the man with glasses pleaded. “You can’t just go and…”
The woman gave both men a look of disdain. The bald guy just kept talking.
“Between Shayd and I, the Guild will be in good hands,” the bald guy said.
Ryu gave his companions a confused glance. “Did I miss something?”
Nina merely shrugged. Sari looked over at the four adults and placed her hands behind her back.
Deis said something about staying out of trouble, but this just didn’t seem fair. Sari figured that Yuki’s stubborn streak was rubbing off on her. Or maybe it was Nina’s neurotic sense of justice. Or Ryu’s weird way of dealing with people. She didn’t know.
But, something inside of her just felt the need to ask a simple question.
“Is something wrong?”
The man with glasses glanced over at Sari. “Oh? Oh! I’m sorry,” the man adjusted his glasses. “I…”
The bald man pushed the man with glasses back. “Mind your own business kid. This does not concern you.”
Sari made a face and placed her hands on her hips. The Highlander grinned towards the bald man. “We need to start making preparations, boss.”
The man nodded. “Okay Iggy! See you later Shayd!” he blew her a kiss and with that, the man and the Highlander, Iggy, left.
The man with glasses sighed and turned to the children. “Sorry you had to see that. My name is Lee. I’m in charge of the Guild’s finances. Is there something I can do for you?”
Sari grinned slightly and nodded. “Actually, we were looking to book a passage on one of your ships.”
Lee’s smile faded slightly. “Um, if you want to use one of the ships, you will have to talk to Ms. Shayd over there. She’s in charge of managing the ships around here.”
Shayd groaned and held her head. “Ugh! I am getting so sick of hearing about that! It gives me such a headache. There are no ships leaving port until the lighthouse is fixed!”
“Shayd!” Lee snapped. “You being sick does not give you the right to talk to customers like that!”
Shayd rolled her eyes. “And whose fault is that? I bet you don’t care if I have to marry Zig or not!” Shayd shook her head and took off down the pier.
“I…” Lee started, but stopped. “Oh, forget it,” he turned back to the four. “Um. I’m sorry. She’s just a little upset right now.”
“Why?” Nina asked.
“Well, you see, her father is wanting to marry her off to Zig. He’s the bald guy from earlier. He’s one of the best sailors the Guild has, and well, the Guildmaster is quite taken with him. So… yeah,” Lee said with a heavy sigh.
“And… how do you fit into the picture?” Nina asked.
“Oh, right. I’m an… uh old friend of Shayd’s. Look, I’m sorry. If you want I have some work I have to get done. If you will excuse me…”
Lee waved goodbye and walked back towards the guild office.
Nina turned to the three. “I say we talk to Shayd again.”
The group reluctantly followed Nina to where Shayd was standing. She turned to them and gave them a weary smile.
“I’m sorry about that. I didn’t mean to be rude earlier. It’s just so many things happening at once. Right, well, can I help you?”
Yuki grinned. Red Ninja of LUV time!
“Can you tell us what happened?”
Shayd gave Yuki a look. “Eh? Well, Lee and I have been friends since we were kids… but… oh forget it. My father...wants me to marry a sailor. He says the Guild work's too rough for a woman... so, he’s chosen Zig. See, he’s a pretty good sailor, but that’s about it. I like working for the Guild, but sometimes it can just get so hard. I just wish there could be someone I could rely on. All well.”
Yuki grinned. “Um, what about the lighthouse?”
Shayd nodded. “Zig is going to go repair the lighthouse. My father has sent many teams up there, but none have been able to do it. There apparently appears to be something at the top that ends up beating them up before they can fix the light. My father… the man’s probably too drunk by now to realize what he is saying. I have to go. I am sorry that I can’t help you with a boat.”
Yuki nodded. “That’s fine. Thanks!”
Shayd waved goodbye and left. Yuki turned to Nina and the others and grinned. Nina grinned right back at Yuki. Ryu and Sari suddenly didn’t feel so well.
“I think Lee is in love with Shayd!” Nina said.
“I think Shayd is in love with Lee!” Yuki chimed.
“You thinking what I’m thinking?” Nina asked.
“The Red AND Pink Ninja of LUV will save the day!” Yuki laughed.
“Um, no. I meant if Lee goes to fix the lighthouse before Zig can, then Shayd’s father will reconsider Shayd having to marry Zig and let Lee marry her instead!”
“Um… that too…” Yuki giggled nervously.
The four later found Lee standing outside on the pier. They approached him and waved. Lee waved back and before he knew it, Yuki and Nina suggested their outrageous plan about him fixing the lighthouse.
But what really set the poor man off was Nina suddenly chiming in about his relationship with Shayd.
“You love her, so you should propose!” Nina giggled.
“What?!” Lee stuttered. “Propose? True, I love Shayd… b-but she’s promised to Zig…”
“If you can get to the lighthouse first and fix it, then nothing will stop you!” Yuki said.
Lee weakly nodded. “But…”
“So, what’s it gonna be?” Yuki asked, her hands on her hips. “Yah gonna wuss out and let some muscle head Spirit Brigade reject get your girl, or are you gonna be a man and fight?”
Lee looked like a deer caught in a car’s headlights. “Well… Zig doesn’t know the first thing about running the Guild and Shayd doesn’t really like him like that… and I really like Shayd… and… oh, all right! You win. But you will have to train me how to fight. Whatever is at the top of the lighthouse is suppose to be very strong. I… I can meet you after I finish work. You will have to pick up some equipment for me. Nothing too heavy. I’ll meet you at the town square later this evening.”
“This is nuts…” Ryu muttered to himself. Ryu, Yuki, Sari, and Nina were sitting around the village square.
Ryu thought it was crazy that they had to use some of his spare equipment for Lee, but when they got right down to it, it was probably all the poor guy could handle. After all, Lee didn’t look all that strong.
Which begged the question: HOW were they going to train him? All of them, including Nina (Sari would not fight) could hold their own if need be.
Yuki was somewhat trained with short swords and Ryu had at least four years worth of experience with a sword. Nina apparently had magical potential. So, could LEE hold his own against the preteens?
Dusk was already setting in when Lee showed up. Most of the people had left the area, so it was just the five of them. Ryu had to wonder what Deis and Garr were up to though.
“Hello!” Lee called over to the children. “Sorry I’m late.”
Ryu nodded. “S’okay. So,” Ryu stood up and gestured towards the extra equipment. “Think this will fit?”
Lee shrugged and took hold of the chestplate. He struggled to get it in place and after a moment, he was able to get it fastened. He picked up the sword and nearly dropped it. He struggled to pick it up and after another moment, managed to lift it in the air.
“O…okay!” Lee said with a triumphant smile on his face. “I got it!”
Lee swung the sword in the air and nearly dropped it. “Ow, oops!”
Ryu rolled his eyes. “Okay, um… I guess that Nina, Yuki, and I are going to train you. Do you know anything about fighting at all?”
“Um, I know when to defend. That’s about it,” Lee said.
Yuki nodded. “Okay, well… just defend and we’ll tell you when to attack!”
“Okay!” Lee said.
“Ready?” Ryu said. “OKAY!”
Ryu and the girls drew their respective weapons as Sari watched curiously from the sidelines. Lee got into a defensive stance and crossed his arms over his head.
Nina jumped forward and swung her wand across Lee’s guarded face. Lee stumbled back, but managed to hold his footing.
“Okay! Now try and hit Nina!” Ryu called out.
Lee jabbed his sword forward and struck Nina’s wand. Nina jumped back and jumped in the air again. This time her wand made contact with Lee’s forearm. Lee yelped and struck at Nina again. Nina twirled around and smacked Lee in the head.
Lee grunted as he jumped back. Nina jumped back and Yuki ran forward.
“Ah HA!” Yuki laughed as she brought her daggers forward and made contact with Lee’s sword.
For someone that seemed to never fight, Lee was a quick study. Lee awkwardly brought his sword up and blocked another one of Yuki’s jabs. Yuki spun around and made a jab for Lee’s side. Lee jumped back far enough to miss the jab, but feel flat on his rear in the process.
“Now, for the coup de graus!” Yuki laughed maniacally.
Ryu ran forward and held his sword out. “Wait! We’re not trying to hurt him!”
Yuki scowled and placed her hands on her hips. “I wasn’t going to hurt him!”
“You seem to delight in taking center stage when it comes to this sort of thing,” Ryu said. “I have no idea if you are gonna lose it and beat him into a bloody pulp, or just shout at him.”
Yuki wagged her pointer finger at Ryu. “You are the one that has lost their ever loving mind! What make you think I’m going to hurt him?”
“Oh, I dunno. You seem to want me DEAD!”
“You LIED to us! And I never said that I wanted you dead!”
“Oh, ‘he should have let you die’ seems oddly like you want me dead!”
“Um… guys?” Nina asked as Lee walked over to the two arguing children.
“Butt out, Nina,” Yuki grumbled.
“Oh, now you are griping at Nina now?” Ryu asked.
“Ah, no! At least she doesn’t LIE!”
“What the crap is wrong with you?!”
“You LIED TO US!!! What part of that isn’t perpetrating that tiny brain of yours?!”
Nina turned to Lee and whispered. “This would be the perfect time to attack them…”
Lee nervously nodded and rushed forward. He struck both Ryu and Yuki in the back with the flat of his blade. The two stumbled back and fell down. Lee looked really surprised, then really nervous when he saw the venomous look Yuki and Ryu gave him.
“Ah…” Yuki muttered darkly.
“What was that for?” Ryu asked in annoyance.
“Um… well… Nina said that this would be the perfect time to attack… because your guard was down… oh dear…” Lee’s eyes widened as Ryu and Yuki advanced on Lee.
“I say we call a truce,” Ryu looked over at Yuki. Yuki merely nodded.
Yuki raised her arms and grinned. “SHINE AQUA ILLUSION!”
Lee looked confused. “What…? ACK!” Yuki and Ryu tackled Lee to the ground.
“It’s called a distraction…” Nina said, slightly embarrassed.
“I’m not sure about this…” Lee said.
After the little ‘sparring’ match, Ryu felt like Lee was ready to take on the lighthouse. Or at least try. Lee said that they needed Shayd’s permission to enter the lighthouse, so the had to track her down before anything else. They found a frazzled Shayd standing next to Zig and Iggy.
“Get ready Shayd!” Zig laughed. “You should be getting fitted for your wedding dress!”
“Yeah!” Iggy said. “You guys should make it a spring wedding!”
“After I repair the lighthouse, nothing will be able to stop me!” Zig said as he flexed his muscles. Shayd just rolled her eyes.
“Not if Lee has anything to say about it!” Nina suddenly piped up.
Zig turned about and looked at Lee. “What?! This wimp is going to fix the lighthouse? I think not! He will have to get past me first!”
“WHAT?!” Lee said. “No one said anything about having to fight him!”
To be continued…