Breath of Fire 1. The Untamed Child

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Disclaimer: This is my novelization of Capcom's game "Breath of Fire 3, plus a few twists I added into the mix. So, as usual, I don't own any of the characters. However, the main character's personality was my idea, seeing that the main character in the game never talks. Enough of the boring stuff, now it's time for you to R&R!**

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**Chapter 1: The Untamed Child**

In the little town of McNeil, the peaceful villagers make their living by farming and harvesting fruits in the nearby Cedar Woods. However, even this village has it's problems. The people always find themselves short on gold, due to the taxes of their greedy mayor. Also, recently, the harvests haven't been yielding as much food as usual. This seemed like a dark time for McNeil village.

* * *

One day, the serenity of the village was abruptly broken by the sound of breaking glass and the sound of a rifle shot. The sounds came from a small house next to the village square. The door swung open, and a little boy with blue hair, who appeared to be about ten, clad in light leather armor, came running out with a large sack over his shoulder, followed by an angry looking man with a rifle in his hands.

"Dammit, Ryu, come back here with that food!" the man shouted at the boy loading his rifle.

"You'll have to catch me first!" the boy yelled back, sticking his tongue out at him. The man stopped, took aim with his rifle, and shot at the boy again. The pellets from the gun zipped right past Ryu's face as he ran off into the woods.

"One of these days you'll get yours!" The man shook his fist at him. Another villager came up to him. "What's going on here?" they asked.

"It's Ryu again, robbing me blind! Don't that kid have anything better to do than bother us!? Life's bad enough without him!"

"I agree, but you mustn't but all the blame on him, he's just a kid. Besides, there's hardly enough food for anyone, with the bad harvest and all. We can only hope that the traders from Windia are willing to sell their stock for what little money we have."

"I suppose you're right," the man said. He took one glance at the woods, then slowly walked back into his house.

Meanwhile, in the Cedar Woods, Ryu ran down the dirt path of the forest. After realizing that he was not being followed, he pace slowed down to a walk. He breathed a sigh of relief, pulled an apple out of the large sack, and took a bite out of it.

"Today payed off big time," he said with a triumphant smile. "This should last for quite a while." Just then, he heard a rustling in some bushes nearby, then a growling sound. He jumped back, and a pair of black wolves jumped out into the open, saliva dripping down their bared teeth.

"Great, just what I need," Ryu said. He dropped his sack of food, and pulled out a small sword. "Sorry, but this is my meal! Go find your own!" Suddenly, one of the hounds pounced towards Ryu. Ryu ducked under it and thrust his sword straight up, piercing the beast's heart. It let out a howl of pain as it fell to the ground. He pulled his sword from the carcass and looked at the remaining monster. It growled and charged at him. Ryu braced for the attack, but at the second, it leapt off to one side and then tried to pounce on him. Ryu was able to sidestep it and swinged his sword, cutting off its left legs. It fell over as black blood rushed out of its disconnected limbs.

"That'll show you who's boss," Ryu said as he wiped the blood on his sword on the ground and returned it to its sheath. He then picked his sack back up and proceeded deeper into the forest.

* * *

When Ryu arrived at a clearing in the heart of the woods, there was a large tree surrounded by a small creek. In the tree was a small log cabin, enough to house about two people.

"Home sweet home," he said as he headed towards the wooden shack. Inside, there were no decorations, except for the furniture. A wooden table, wooden chairs, a wooden cabinet, and a wooden bed with one matress on it. Ryu was about to put his sack of food on the table, when he noticed a bit of purple hair under the table. He pretended not to notice as he opened up the sack and layed all the food out on the table. He sat sown at his chair, and picked up a strip of beef jerky. Then, he smiled as he kicked his legs under the table.

"OW!" A boy about Ryu's age crawled out from under the table, with long purple hair, dressed in peasant's clothes.

"How long were you planning to hide under there, Teepo?" Ryu asked the boy.

"I'm sorry, Ryu," Teepo replied, "I wanted to see if you were here. When I saw that you weren't, I tried to leave, but there were some monsters outside, so I hid until you came back."

"Defenseless as always, aren't we?" Ryu took a bite of the beef jerky in his hand. He picked up an apple from the pile of food and handed it to Teepo. "Here, take it," he said, "I bet you're hungry from waiting for me."

"Thank you, Ryu," Teepo said, gladly taking the apple. He sat down in a chair across the table from Ryu, and the two youths ate the food together. After all the food was gone, Ryu patted his stomach.

"That was good! I haven't ate that well in a long time," he said. "But now all my food is gone. I'm gonna have to go out and get some more."

"You're not going to rob from the villagers again, are you?" Teepo asked him. "They don't like you very much, you know. Especially since the fields aren't doing so good this year, there isn't enough food to go around."

"Nah, they're probably expecting me after that last run," said Ryu. "I'm thinking about going to the lumberjack's place for a meal."

"You don't mean old Bunyan, do you? I heard he's really strong, and could rip a tree in half with his bare hands. If he catches you..."

"Don't worry about that, nobody could catch me in a thousand years, even if they tried! C'mon, wanna come help me?"

"I can't, Ryu. I've been gone from the village for a while, and they might get worried if I don't get back to the orphanage." Teepo got up from the table and headed for the door.

"I can at least see you to the edge of the woods to make sure no monsters attack you," said Ryu. "And Bunyan's cabin is near the exit, anyway. Let's go."

* * *

When Ryu and Teepo reached the edge of the woods, they said their farewells to eachother as Teepo went down the road to town.

"Now to pay a visit to old man Bunyan," said Ryu as he headed off. Meanwhile, when Teepo was just about at the village, he bumped into a large man, with long brown hair and a big bushy beard, carrying a large axe over his shoulder.

"Careful there, son," the man said. "you should watch where you're going."

"H-hi, Mr. B-Bunyan, sir," Teepo said, looking scared.

"Why, you're Teepo, aren't you?" Bunyan said with a chuckle. "What are you doing here, so close to the woods? Have you been fooling around with your friend Ryu again?"

"N-no, sir, o-of course not," Teepo stuttered.

"Well, that's good to hear. I don't think you should hang around him too much, or else his bad habits might rub off on you. Well, I've got to get back to my cabin and have me some dinner after a long day of work. Oh, and if you run into Ryu again, tell him to stay away from my cabin, or else. Take care now, Teepo."

"Yes, s-sir." He looked worried as Bunyan headed off into the woods. 'Ryu, I hope you'll be okay...' he thought.

* * *

At that time, Ryu was already inside the lumberjack's home, scrounging around for any little morsel of food he could find. "Man, I've looked everywhere, and there's no food! The only place I haven't looked is in the cellar." He looked at a ladder leading down. He climbed down it and into the cellar. There was nothing in there except a cupboard and a few barrels. Ryu opened up the cupboard and found a large, juicy ham.

"Jackpot!" he said as he snatched the ham and stuffed it into his sack. "Tonight, I eat like a king!" Just then, he heard the sound of a door opening and closing from upstairs. Old man Bunyan was home. "Uh-oh," said Ryu, "this isn't good... Looks like I'll have to make a run for it." He slowly climbed up the ladder and peeked around upstairs. There was no sign of Bunyan.

"Hmm, I could've sworn that I heard him coming... Must be my imagination." He climbed up the rest of the ladder and headed for the door. He opened the door and calmly walked out. Suddenly, Bunyan jumped out from around the corner of the house and chopped Ryu in the back of the neck before he had time to react. He dropped his sack as his vision began to blur, and he fell to the ground and passed out.

* * *

When he regained consciousness, Ryu couldn't move an inch. He looked around and saw himself tied up, just outside Bunyan's house. "I don't believe it," he said to himself, "I finally got caught!" Just then, Bunyan came out of the cabin and walked in front of Ryu.

"I knew you were up to no good," said Bunyan, "but I didn't think you'd sink this low!"

"It was just a ham! What's so wrong about that?"

The lumberjack cracked his knuckles. "At a time like this, when everyone's suffering... Don't you know that if you don't work, you can't eat?"

"Hey, I was working!" Ryu barked at him.

Bunyan shook his head. "You just don't get it, do you? Robbing people isn't honest work! I have half the mind to run you out of the woods, but... If you say you'll mend your ways, I could forgive and forget."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Work, Ryu. If you want to eat, you have to work... Understand?" He pointed behind him to an old stump and a large pile of logs. "What I want you to do is chop firewood. It's really simple... I'll set up the log, and you'll cut it with your sword. You are good at handling a sword, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! Is that a challenge? Because if it is, you're on!"

"Well, let's see just how good you are." They both approached the pile of logs as Bunyan sat down on one side of the stump and Ryu stood on the other. Bunyan grabbed the first log and set it on the stump. The moment he released his hand, Ryu unsheathed his sword and swung it across the log, cutting it clean in two.

"See, I am good," Ryu said.

"That's good," said Bunyan. "Keep it up, there's still plenty more." He took another log and stuck it on the stump. The time seemed to fly past as Ryu cut log upon log, trickles of sweat running down his face and hands. It was about sundown when they had finished with the last log. Ryu could hardly stand up or carry his sword.

"_::huff::_ That was _::puff::_ exhausting..." he said, trying to get back on his feet. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, while Bunyan sat in the same position he was in since they started, not a single bead of sweat on him. "There, I worked. Now you won't complain if I steal, right?"

Bunyan shook his head again. "If you keep that up, one of these days you'll be sorry. Don't you see that?"

"Ha! Who cares? One day, real soon, I'm getting out of here, and going to a big city like Wyndia! I'm not afraid of anything!"

"Is that so? Well, then, I have one more job for you, then. Follow me." Bunyan got up, and walked off towards the north edge of the woods. Ryu quietly followed. At the edge of the woods lay an enormous mountain.

"I've never seen this before," Ryu said. "What is this place?"

"This is the base of Mt. Glaus," said Bunyan. "I want you to go up there. Find a cabin up there, and stay there for the night. What you have to do next will be apparent. Do you understand?"

"I guess. This seems easier than the last thing you had me do."

"Believe me when I say, this will be a much more difficult task. Are you sure you're up to it?"

"I'm positive. Bring it on!" Ryu then took a deep breath, and ran straight up the mountain path.

"Good luck, boy. You'll need all you can get." Bunyan turned around, and slowly walked back into the woods.

* * *


	2. The Beast of Mt Glaus

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 2: The Beast of Mt. Glaus**

The young boy of the Cedar Woods Ryu continued on his hike up Mt. Glaus, on his way to the cabin that the lumberjack Bunyan told him of. After crossing a bridge hanging over a small stream, a pack of small blue blobs with large eyeballs bouncing on top of their gelatinous bodies came hopping towards him.

"Eye goos," Ryu said. "Known as the weakest monsters in the world. Heh, I could beat them all without even drawing my sword." He bent over and grabbed a handful of dirt. One of the eye goos jumped at him. Ryu threw the dirt in his hand into the monster's eyes as he jumped out of the way. The monster began to jump around frantically as it fell over.

"Their eyes are the weak point," Ryu said. "They don't have hands or eyelids, so if you can blind them, they're totally harmless. Who else wants an eyeful of dirt?" He picked up another clump of dirt. The other eye goos ran off instantly, not wanting to end up like their comrade. Ryu let go of the dirt and continued on his way.

The sun was halfway under the horizon when Ryu finally came upon the cabin. "This must be it," he said, "and just in time, too. I wonder if anyone else lives here..." He opened the door and took a peek inside. It was completely dark. The only things he could see inside were a bed, a chimney, a single window, and a bear-skin rug on the floor. After looking hard enough, though, he could see a man leaning back on the wall near the window. He had shoulder-length blond hair, and was wearing blue clothes with red shoulder pads and a white cloth belt. And out of his back, Ryu could see a big, striped tail coming out.

"Huh?" the man said looking at Ryu. "Who're you? How did you get past all the monsters?"

"I'm Ryu," he responded. "Who're you, and what are you doing here?"

"The name's Rei, and I live here. Look, kid, if you know what's best for you, you'd get out of here while you still can. This place is very dangerous."

"Dangerous? What are you---" Ryu was interrupted by an loud, ear-splitting howl. "What was that?"

"You have heard the rumors, haven't you? That there's a monster that's been attacking the village recently. Well, this mountain is where it lives."

"A monster? That must've been why Bunyan sent me here. He wants me to kill it!"

"What? You mean that old geezer sent a kid to help me kill that ferocious beast? Has he lost his marbles!?"

"Watch who you're calling a kid! I'm tougher than I look! I bet I could beat you in a fight, hands down!"

"Is that so? Well then, it'll have to wait for now. Until that monster is dead, we'll have to work together. I was hoping that you didn't come along."

"Why is that?"

"Because I am a lot stronger if I'm alone... but now that you're here, I can't use... oh, never mind... Boy, doesn't this just beat all? Well, no use worrying about it now. Let's just get some rest. It would be dangerous and stupid to go out at night. You can take the bed." Rei then sat down and crossed his legs.

"Thanks. You're a lot nicer than you look."

"What can I say? I guess I'm just an old softie on the inside." Ryu took his sheath off and hopped onto the bed. He slowly closed his eyes, and drifted off to sleep almost instantly.

* * *

That night Ryu had a dream. He heard voices calling out his name. "Ryu... Ryu..." He looked around, but didn't see anyone. The voices kept calling out his name, but one voice stood out more than the others. 

"You and I are the same," it said. "We are special. We are better than other people. They are weak and pathetic! Why should we be the ones that are subjugated!? We could easily overpower them and destroy them all!" The voice boomed and echoed on that last sentence. Then, there was a bright light. A softer, gentler voice now called to him.

"Ryu... Ryu... my little Ryu..."

* * *

Ryu jumped right out of bed, sweat running down his face. Suddenly, the roar from last night was heard again. He looked at where Rei was sleeping. His eyes opened wide up, and he sprang to his feet.

"That's our wakeup call," said Rei. "Let's go, Ryu!"

"Okay!" Ryu jumped out of bed, grabbed his sword, and followed Rei out the door. They looked around outside, but there was no sign of the monster. Then, when they looked up at a nearby mesa, a giant gorilla with three snakes for tails jumped up into the air and came crashing down on top of the cabin, crushing it.

"Hey, that was my house!" Rei yelled at it. "Now it's personal!" He reached behind his back, and pulled out two daggers.

"Is that the monster?" Ryu asked as he pulled out his sword.

"Yep, that's it. A Nue chimera. This creature has been bothering the village for a long time. Get ready! Here it comes!" The Nue beat its chest and came barreling forward without warning. Ryu and Rei both jumped to either side of it and slashed at it. The monster shrieked as it clutched its sides. The snaketails turned to face Ryu and Rei, and began to shoot venom out of their mouths. They moved out of harm's way as the venom hit the ground, burning it like acid. Rei then charged into the chimera and sliced off two of the tails with his daggers. It roared again and jumped back up the mesa it came down from and ran off.

"Come on! It's getting away!" Rei shouted to Ryu.

"Lead the way!" Ryu said putting his sword away.

"Get on my back, I can jump most of the ledges so we can get there faster." Ryu got on Rei's back, and held on tight. Rei began to leap up the mountain with the same agility as the fleeing monster. He leapt from ledge to ledge until they came to a cave. Ryu jumped off Rei's back and looked at the mouth of the cave.

"Hey, look, Rei," he said, pointing to a puddle of blood at the entrance. "That must be the monster's blood. Looks like it left us an easy path to follow." They both proceeded into the cave with caution. Just as Ryu said, the puddles of blood left an easy path, like the dotted lines on a map that leads to the treasure. There were many small passages that branched out, but they decided to focus on the task at hand rather than explore. After making various twists and turns, they came into a room containing an underground lake. The trail of blood ended at the water's edge.

"Great," said Rei, "now what do we do?"

"Hmm," Ryu said. "You know what I think? I think it jumped into the water to get away. Look over there." He pointed to a waterfall halfway across the room. Behind the rushing water was a passage just big enough for the creature to crawl through.

"You got a good eye there, Ryu, but how are we going to get over there? The current is too powerful to swim against." He looked at the top of the waterfall and say a rocky ledge with another passageway. "There we go! Let's backtrack and try and find a passage that leads up there! Then we can jump down into the passage under the falls."

* * *

They both headed back into the main passageway and backtracked to a four-way intersection. "If my sense of direction is right," said Rei, "then we need to go... that way!" Ryu and Rei both headed down the passage, heading uphill. At the end, they were back in the underground lake, this time at the ledge they saw before. 

"Here we are," said Rei. "You first, Ryu."

"Me? Why me?" Ryu asked.

"Don't ask, just jump!" With that, Rei gave Ryu a good shove right into the water, then jumped in shortly afterwards. The strong current swept both of them down the falls and straight into the passage behind it. Ryu and Rei both came out soaking wet.

"You could've told me you were going to do that!" Ryu said trying to shake off the water.

"Well, we were a little pressed for time, so you can get on to me about that later," said Rei. He shook his body off in the same fashion that a wet cat would. He then wringed out the remaining water on his tail and looked ahead. "Look, the puddles of blood are bigger here. We must be very close." They both walked slowly down the wide passage. There were bones on both sides of the room. At the end, the Nue chimera stood its ground in front of another passageway, growling at Ryu and Rei.

"There it is!" said Rei. "Now's our chance!"

"It looks pretty worn out," said Ryu. "This should be easy, right Rei?"

"I hope so..." Suddenly, the monster charged forward, trying to take a swing at Ryu with its massive claws. "Look out, Ryu!" Rei lunged for him and tackled him out of the way. He then jumped on top the monster's back, pulled out his daggers, and plunged bothof them into its flesh. The monster howled in pain as it tried reach behind itself and grab Rei. "Hurry, Ryu! Strike now!"

"Right!" Ryu unsheathed his sword, and charged straight at it. With one mighty thrust, he pushed his blade all the way into the beast's chest. The monster let out a deafening scream as it grabbed Rei and threw him off. It then stood up straight on its hind legs, jumped back to the door, and spread out its arms. It closed it eyes, and stopped in that position.

"Rei!" Ryu rushed over to him. "Are you okay?"

"Ow... I'm a little shook up, but I'll live," he said getting up. He looked at the monster. "Look at that... It's dead."

"It died on its feet... Like it was trying to protect the cave behind it. Let's go take a look." They both pushed the dead monster aside and headed in. At the end of a long hallway, Ryu and Rei found something that made their eyes widen. In a large straw nest lay three Nue cubs, but they look like they've been dead for a long time. The adult must have not realized that they were dead and kept trying to bring food back to them.

"Boy," said Ryu, "it wan't too bright, was it? I mean, its cubs were already dead..."

"If this doesn't beat all..." said Rei. "...Sheesh... Let's go. It's over..." They both turned around and headed back to the underground lake.

* * *

When they got there, they hopped back into the water, and let the current carry them out of the caves. It swept them downstream, back to the bridge that leads to the base of the mountain. After they both dried off, Bunyan the lumberjack approached them.

"So... How does it feel to do some real work for a change, hmm?" he asked them. They both remained silent. "When spring comes, the animals will return, and life will become a little easier... You both did a good job, congratulations!" He began to walk away, but then Rei stepped forward.

"Wait a minute," he said. "You knew that the Nue was only hunting for food for her cubs, and you still had us kill her!?"

Bunyan turned around and looked at Rei. "If you had known she had cubs, would you have let her live...?" Rei couldn't answer that question. The lumberjack turned again and walked off.

"Rei..." Ryu said looking at him. "What will you do now...?"

"Well, I don't have a home anymore, so I guess I'll just find another place to live."

"I know! You can come live with me! I have a big house in the woods, there'd be enough space for both of us!"

"Really? You'd do that for me, someone you've only known for less than a day?"

"Sure! After all, you saved me back in that cave. It's the least I can do."

"Heh, you're a good kid, Ryu. I'll find a way to pay you back, someday. That's a promise!"

"I'll remember that! C'mon, let's go home." With that, they both headed back down the mountain path, back into the Cedar Woods.

* * *


	3. The Break In

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

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**Chapter 3: The Break-In**

And so, spring came at long last. Spring came to the mountains, to the woods, and to all its inhabitants. And the virtue of the young duo saved the village from the ferocious Nue chimera earned them a place in the villagers' hearts.

"Rise and shine, lazy bones!" Ryu said to a slumbering Rei.

"Mmmm... what, what is it?" Rei said getting out of bed, rubbing his eyes.

"I just got back from the west woods, looking for animals and berries, and I found us some breakfast!" He pulled out some bright red apples from his pockets and handed half of them to Rei. "We never have to worry about food anymore, right Rei? It's a good thing we got rid of that monster, huh?"

"...I suppose so."

"Hey! Why don't we go down to the village and show them who did it? Tell them who got rid of the monster!"

"Hmmmm..." Rei scratched his head. "I don't know... isn't it better if we don't brag about it?"

"W... Why's that?"

"But... I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go see what they're saying about us, would it?"

"Then we can go!? Come on, come on!" Ryu eagerly rushed out the door as Rei followed after him.

* * *

When they got to the village, it was unusually quiet. The streets were empty. No children were playing outside. No farmers were conducting business with eachother. It was like everyone moved out. 

"That's funny..." said Ryu, "no one's here... I told them all that we'd be coming into town today..."

"What?" said Rei. "I knew you were bragging! I knew it!"

"Heh heh..." Ryu scratched his head, embarassed. Just then, all the doors in the village opened up, and out came people armed with hoes, sickles, and rakes. Behind them came the women and children, and they slowly approached the two and surrounded them.

"Hey, Ryu..." Rei said, "what's going on? Why don't they look too happy to see us?" An elderly man walked up to Rei. "Hey you..." Rei turned around to face him. "Is it true what they say...?" he asked. "That you two killed the Nue all by yourselves?"

"Well, um..." Rei rubbed the back of his head. "...yeah."

"So what Bunyan was saying is true then," one of the younger men said.

"So you mean you risked your lives...for us?" asked an old woman.

Rei shrugged. "Well, I guess you could say that." Then the village elder came up to them and looked them both straight in the eyes.

"Well done!!" he exclaimed. "Looks like we misjudged you, Ryu. We're sorry...and we're grateful..."

"We certainly are!" the old woman said. "If we'd known what you were really like before, well then..."

"You won't ever need steal anything ever again," the young man from before said. "We'll give you food whenever you need it---just ask!" The entire crowd came towards them and shook hands with both of them. Men and women cheered for their new heroes. After the crowd returned to its regular rounds, Rei looked at Ryu and smiled.

"Well, what do you think of that?" he said. "We're heroes!"

"I don't know about you," Ryu said, "but I feel pretty important about now..." Just then, Teepo came running down the street towards them.

"Ryu! Hey, Ryu!" Teepo stopped in front of Ryu and tried to catch his breath. "I heard all about it! You guys killed a giant monster all by yourselves!? That's so cool! That's why I always liked you, Ryu!"

"Stop, Teepo! You're embarassing me!" Ryu said, almost ready to blush.

"Please, Ryu, teach me how to be as strong and brave as you! I want to be just like you!"

"Wha---? You really mean that?"

"Yes! Please!!" Teepo got on his knees and held Ryu's arm. "Will you teach me?"

"Hmm... Well, you were the only villager that liked me before, so I guess I could! From this moment on, you, Teepo, will be my apprentice!"

"Oh, thank you, Ryu! Thank you!" He got back up. "So, what's the first thing we should do?"

"First, we need to get you some equipment," Ryu said. "Let's go see if the weapons shop owner can spare an extra suit of armor and a sword." The three boys headed down to the weapons shop.

* * *

Inside, a bearded man stood behind the counter.

"Well, well, if it ain't the town heroes!" said the owner. "What can I get you two?"

"We need a suit of armor and a sword for my new apprentice here," Ryu said.

"Is that so? Well, then, I suppose I can part with some of my inventory. Let me go get them." He went into the back room, and closed the door. Ryu, Rei, and Teepo could hear him rummaging through the stuff inside. Moments later, he came back out with a new suit of leather armor and a short sword inside a blue sheath. "Here you go, boys. It's on the house." He handed the equipment to Teepo.

"Wow, this is so cool!" Teepo said as he hurriedly slipped on the armor. "I finally get to be just like you, Ryu! I'll get to go on adventures, slay monsters, and do other hero stuff all with you!"

"Heh," Rei laughed, "it's just like having a little brother, huh, Ryu?"

"What's that supposed to mean!?" Ryu said. "Alright then, if you're done, apprentice, let's go get ready to train!" He helped Teepo attach his sword to his belt, and they all headed outside.

* * *

The moment they left the shop, they were met by a skinny man, dressed in a green cloak and hood. 

"Heh heh, you guys are something..." he said. "I'm impressed... no, really, I am..."

"And who are you?" Ryu asked him.

"Me? My name is Loki. I guess you guys are heroes, huh? Saved the village, yeah? Yep, you are certainly heroes... yes indeed... Yep, you're really something... I mean, you killed that Nue, something else no one was able to do... That's why... Seeing as you're so strong... I wanted to ask for your help."

"I don't know... what do you think, guys?" Ryu turned to Rei and Teepo. Rei bent over to Ryu's ear and whispered to him.

"I don't know, he looks kinda suspicious..." he said.

"But he said he needs our help," Teepo whispered. "And heroes always help those in need, right, teacher?"

"Well, that is true," said Ryu, "but... oh, what the heck! What harm could it do? Okay Loki, you have our attention."

"Oh! You'll help me!? I just knew you would! Down the road, there is a farm with a little hut on the roadside... we'll talk more there, ok? Then we have a deal." He walked off laughing to himself, and hacking with his hoarse voice.

"Well, you heard him," Ryu said. "Let's go!" They all nodded, and headed down the south road to the farmlands.

* * *

Later that day, inside the hut Loki mentioned, the four had gathered to hear his plan. 

"So, what do you want?" Rei asked Loki.

"Well, I'm sure you've heard the stories too. You know, the ones about Mr. McNeil?"

"That he's cheap and greedy?" said Teepo.

"There's lots of people like that," said Ryu.

"Yes, but... well, don't you think that... McNeil is a bit, well, too greedy? Hmmm?"

"So you're saying," Rei said, "you want us 'heroes' to steal everything back, is that it?"

"Um... well, if you stole the tax money and gave it back to the villagers..."

"It'll make even bigger heroes, right?" Teepo asked.

"So you'll do it, then? Oh, thank you so much! There's no time to waste! You should go tonight!" He then shuffled his way out of the hut in a hurry.

"Well, since it won't be until night, let's start your training, Teepo," said Ryu. "This is the perfect place to practice your sword techniques." Ryu and Teepo pulled out their swords and the training session began.

* * *

That night, Ryu, Rei, and Teepo were still waiting in the hut. Rei was relaxing in the corner, Ryu was on the floor about to fall asleep, and Teepo was diligently practicing with his sword. 

"I think I'm starting to get the hang of this," said Teepo. "I feel like I'm ready for anything!" Just then, Loki came barging in.

"It's night, everyone! Let's go, let's go! They just finished repairing the wall, so it might be hard to find a way in, but... I'm sure people as resourceful as you can find a way, right?"

"All right," said Teepo, "let's go! Ryu, Rei!"

"Hey, I'm the leader of this crew," said Ryu, "that's my line! Let's go! Rei, Teepo!"

"We're right behind you, teacher!" Teepo said happily.

* * *

When the three got to the hill leading to Mayor McNeil's mansion, they stopped. 

"Okay," said Rei, "there's the manor up ahead. Let's split up and look for a way in." Ryu and Rei nodded. "Be careful..." With that, they all spread out across the span of the outer walls, searching high and low for a safe way in. The masonry job was perfect. Not a single crack or flaw could be found. Then, Ryu noticed that a segment of the wall was separately assembled from the rest of the wall.

"Psst, guys," Ryu whispered. "Over here."

"What's up, Ryu?" asked Rei. "You find something?" Rei and Teepo both crept to where Ryu was standing. "Hey... isn't that the wall Loki said they repaired?" He walked up to it and pressed his hand against it. "Built solid. We won't be getting past this." He turned around and leaned on the section of wall. "Hmm... I wonder..." Suddenly, the whole segment of the wall began to fall back.

"Rei!" Teepo gasped.

"Huh? Whoa!" The whole section of the wall Rei was leaning on fell apart as he fell backwards.

"Are you alright?"

Rei got back up and scratched his head. "Don't this just beat all... So much for the 'perfect' repair job..."

"This isn't exactly how we planned it," Ryu said, "but we'll take any break we can get." Ryu poked his head past the crumbled wall and looked around. "Okay, it's clear. Let's go." The three of them then hopped over the pile of bricks and into the courtyard.

* * *

Inside, guards were patrolling everywhere. Ryu and his friends tried to sneak past, but there were too many, and one of the guards spotted them. "Hey, who's there?" he asked. Rei pulled out his daggers, expecting a fight. "Oh, it's just you guys," the guard said. 

"Huh? You aren't going to report us?" Rei asked, putting away his weapons.

"Hey, if you beat that Nue, then I don't stand I chance against you, right?"

"Yeah, that's right," Ryu said. "You're pretty smart for being just a guard. We're going in, ok?"

"I'll keep quiet for... 50 gold pieces, deal?"

"What? You little cheapskate... fine then, 50 gold, but not one piece more!" Ryu pulled out a pouch of gold from his pocket and tossed it at the guard.

"Much appreciated. Our salary's not that great, you know? Go right ahead. I didn't see anything."

"Well, that was easy," Teepo said. They all walked past the guard without so much as a fight. They climbed up the stairs to the front patio and hugged the wall to avoid the patrolling guards below. Once they got to the front door, however, it was completely blocked off by a whole squad of guards.

"We aren't getting in that way," Rei said. "Let's head back down for now." They quietly hopped the railing on the patio and headed back into the courtyard.

* * *

When the three of them got to the other side of the courtyard, they found a large henhouse. 

"Great, a chicken coop..." Rei sighed. Ryu started to walk in.

"Since we can't get in through the front door because of all those guards," said Ryu, "how about we just swipe some eggs and go home?"

"Um... I don't think so... Aren't you setting your sights a little low there, Ryu?" Just then, Ryu came barging out of the henhouse with his arms full of eggs, chased by an angry flock of chickens.

"Mad chickens!" Teepo yelled. This outburst attracted one of the guards to the henhouse.

"What's going on here!?" he demanded. Ryu ran up to him and gave him the eggs.

"Here, hold these!" he said as they he, Rei, and Teepo ran off. The guard looked in front of him, and saw the stampede of chickens coming straight at him.

"AHHH!!!" The guard dropped the eggs and ran screaming across the courtyard. The chickens ran rampant across the estate, chasing all the guards around. The guards were so preoccupied, that they didn't even notice Ryu, Rei, and Teepo running past them.

"Well, that worked out better than we could ever hope," Teepo said. "Maybe those guards at the front are gone now." When they got back up to the front door, the same squad of guards was still there, not moving an inch.

"Man, those guys take their job seriously," Ryu said. "What should we do, Rei? Should we give up?"

"...No," said Rei. "Let's force our way in."

"Force...?" said Teepo. "You mean... fight the guards?"

"No. I'll act as a decoy, and while they're after me, you two sneak in. Meanwhile, I'll climb up to the roof and meet you there, ok?" Rei then ran out in front of the guards, threatening them with his daggers, and ran off. The guards immediately gave chase to him.

"Don't worry, Teepo," Ryu said. "Rei's really good at running. Let's go now!"

"Okay, Ryu!" They both crept past the distracted guards, quietly opened the door, and slipped in. In the corner of the patio, the guards had cornered Rei.

"Here goes nothing," Rei said. He jumped straight up into the air, landed on top of the roof, and ran off.

* * *

Getting in was easy, now getting the goods and getting out will be the hard part...

* * *


	4. The Mystery of McNeil Manor

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 4: The Mystery of McNeil Manor**

Inside the house of Mayor McNeil, Ryu and Teepo found themselves in a large lobby.

"It's dark in here, Ryu," said Teepo. "Now what?"

"We look around for where McNeil keeps his money," Ryu answered.

"Let's try searching each room." He opened a door to his right, and walked in. Inside was an art gallery. Across the wall were portraits of different people. They were apparently Mayor McNeil's ancestors.

"Ryu..." Teepo said. "Do you have the feeling we're being watched?"

"Yeah, it feels like it."

"It doesn't look like there are any guards... I've got a pretty funny feeling... I g-guess it's just my imagination..."

"There's nothing here. Let's go back." Ryu and Teepo both headed back to the looby and headed upstairs. But the moment they set foot on the first step, they were lifted into the air and pushed back by an invisible force. Suddenly, a ghastly voice filled the room.

"No one is allowed to trespass in the ancient home of the McNeils!" the voice said.

"What's that?" Teepo looked uneasy. "Who's there? Show yourself!" A small green ghost came hovering down through the ceiling.

"I am Torast, the spirit of the fifth McNeil," the ghost said.

"Are we supposed to be afraid of you?" Ryu asked it. "Ha! We killed the Nue! We're not afraid of you!"

"Ha! You fools! You think that we, the McNeils, are the same as some animal like that? You can ponder the error of your ways in hell!" The ghost's hands turned into claws, and the deadpan expression on its face turned menacing.

"We'll see about that! C'mon, Teepo! This is going to be your first fight!" Ryu pulled out is sword.

"I'm a little nervous, but I'm ready!" Teepo pulled his sword out in the same fashion. The ghost charged torwards Teepo, extending his claws. Teepo just sidestepped it and hacked its arm off with his sword. The ghost screeched, and decided to attack Ryu instead. Ryu ducked under it and cut a large gash across its back. A beam of green light came pouring out of the cut, and the ghost's body disintegrated, leaving a small flame behind.

"Well, that was too easy!" Ryu said putting up his sword.

"W-who are you!?" the defeated Torast said. "Forgive me, my brethren... I have failed you..." The little flame then flew off into the deeper part of the mansion.

"Ghosts give me the creeps," Teepo said, his hand shaking while he was putting his sword back into his sheath. They then continued up the stairs to the upper lobby. Most of the doors up here were nailed shut, so there weren't many places to go.

"The mayor must be really paranoid," Ryu said. "Here's a door that isn't locked up. Let's check it out, Teepo." Ryu opened the door, which led to the second floor balcony. Outside, a round man wearing fancy silk garments with a cheesy haircut stood in front of them.

"Welcome, my little friends," he chuckled. "I'm McNeil, the owner of this mansion."

"Really?" Teepo asked. "Well, that makes things simple, then! You're the villain we've been looking for!"

"Ho ho ho ho! A villain? Me? Why am I a villain? Because I collect taxes from my people? What's wrong with that?" Ryu took a good look at the supposed mayor, and drew his sword.

"That's enough out of you!" Ryu shouted at him. "You're not the real mayor! Who are you, you impostor!?"

"Ho ho ho ho! An impostor? Me? No, I am McNeil... Kassen McNeil, the spirit of the third McNeil!" The roly-poly man's body began to waver, and slowly shifted into the form of a purple ghost that looked exactly like the ghost of Torast McNeil.

"Not another one!" Teepo said pulling out his sword.

"Did you think you'd just be able to take that which we have handed down through the generations!? Regret your decisions and die!" The ghost spread out its arms, and two fireballs appeared in his palms. He threw one at each of them. Ryu and Teepo jumped aside as they met, backs together. The ghost spread out its arms again, trying to make more fireballs. This was their chance. The two boys charged forward and cut off both of Kassen's arms simultaneously. He screamed as his body melted away, nothing remaining but another flame.

"Ohhhhh!! Impossible! You defeated me!" he shouted out. "But I'm not the last! You haven't seen the last of the McNeils!" He then floated off into the night.

"For ghosts, they aren't really scary or strong," Teepo said. "Hey, Ryu, how did you know that he was an impostor?"

"I don't know," Ryu said. "How did you feel the ghosts' prescence in the gallery?"

"I don't know. I guess we have some sort of 'sixth sense' when it comes to ghosts, or something." They both walked across the massive balcony and back into the manor. There was a staircase leading down to the basement, but before they could get near it, another spooky voice called out.

"That's as far as you go!" A red ghost that looked like the last two ghosts that Ryu and Teepo defeated suddenly appeared. "You deserve praise for getting this far... but!"

"All the ghosts here sure talk a lot, don't they?" Ryu whispered to Teepo.

"I heard that! I, Galtel, the twelfth McNeil, will make certain that you proceed no further!" Galtel's body then split off into smaller versions of himself, and continued to duplicate until there was a swarm of miniature ghosts encircling Ryu and Teepo. "Let's see how you handle a whole swarm of---" He was cut off when Ryu smashed the fly-sized ghost with his hands, crushing it like a gnat. He looked at Teepo and smiled. Teepo smiled back, and then the two were running all around the room, swatting the ghosts with their hands. One by one, the little ghosts disappeared in tiny puffs of smoke. When the last ghost was squashed, another flame appeared.

"I said that ghosts gave me the creeps," Teepo said. "But these guys are helping me get over my fear!" The little flame jumped up and flew past them and down into the stairs. Ryu and Teepo followed after it.

* * *

Downstairs were the servants' chambers and the kitchen. Both rooms were completely empty, except for one maid. Ryu and Teepo walked up to her.

"Excuse me," Teepo asked her. "Do you know how we can get to the mayor's chambers?"

"Well, don't you boys look so cute dressed up like that? The mayor's chambers are past the kitchen and down the hall. Take the elevator up at the end of the hall."

"Thanks. By the way, where are all the other servants? You're the only one we've seen here."

"They all either quit or were scared off. They think this place is haunted, and the mayor doesn't pay us enough to work in this creepy place."

"You don't know the half of it," Ryu said. "C'mon, Teepo, let's go." They both headed off into the kitchen. On the table layed a feast fit for a king. Roast chicken, steamed potatoes, apples, and exotic desserts lay on the table.

"It all looks so good," Teepo said. "Can't we grab at least one thing to eat, Ryu?"

"We're on an important mission, Teepo! We don't have time to---" Ryu was interrupted by the growling of his own stomach. "But thn again, I guess it wouldn't hurt." Ryu grabbed a chicken leg and sank his teeth right into it. Teepo pulled a plate of gelatin dessert to him, grabbed a fork, and digged in. In the span of about five minutes, a large majority of the food was gone. Ryu and Teepo patted their full bellies.

"Ohh, that was so good," Ryu said. "We can't stay here forever, though. Let's keep going." The two boys headed out the kitchen exit and headed down the hallway the maid mentioned. Just then, a yellow ghost came out of the wall and cut them off.

"Stop right there!" it said. "Don't think you'll leave alive! I, Doksen, the eighth McNeil, shall---" his speech was cut off as Ryu slashed right through him with his sword. The ghost split right in half and yet another flame emerged from the corpse.

"H, how dare you!? I wasn't done talking yet!" He screamed at Ryu.

"Well, I was done listening to you and your other relatives' annoying speeches!" Ryu turned around and pointed his sword at the flame. It jumped up and flew back into the wall it first came out of.

"Wow, Ryu," Teepo said. "Your patience is running thin, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is. Sorry I robbed you of the opportunity of another fight."

"That's okay. These guys are pushovers anyway. C'mon, we still to go meet Rei on the roof. Maybe the elevator can take us there." They both headed down to the end of the hall, and got into the elevator. Teepo pressed the button for the third floor. The elevator shook a little, and slowly rose up the shaft.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the gallery on the first floor, the defeated McNeil ghosts held a meeting.

"You were beaten too, great-grandfather?" Galtel asked Doksen.

"Humph, they killed me before I could even finish talking," Doksen grunted.

"We have to do something... soon," said Torast.

"Our only hope is the living McNeil," said Kassen. "The thirteenth..."

"Mmm..." said Kanzei, the spirit of the first McNeil. "But I don't think he's up to it..."

* * *

When the elevator stopped, Ryu and Teepo found themselves inside a small attic. There was a ladder leading outside to the roof.

"Rei said he would meet us out on the roof," Ryu said. "Let's get going, Teepo." Ryu climbed up the ladder, with Teepo following closely behind. Outside, the hooting of an owl and the chirps of crickets could be heard.

"We made it to the roof," Teepo said. "I wonder of Rei got away okay?" Just then, he spotted something on the roof adjacent to them. "Ryu! Look over there!" He pointed to a chimney with smoke coming out of the stack.

"That has to be where McNeil is!" Ryu said. "Good job, Teepo! You make me proud to be your teacher!"

"You don't know how much that means to me. Thanks. But, how are we supposed to get over there? All the doors in the house are locked. Let's try and find another way." They both walked across the roof, looking for a way to get across to the adjacent roof. Suddenly, Teepo tripped over something, and fell on top of Ryu.

"Watch where you're going!" Ryu said to Teepo.

"Sorry, but something tripped me up." He looked behind him, and saw that he tripped on the rope of a grappling hook. "Look at that!"

"A grappling hook! Now we can get across!" Ryu looked back across to the other roof to see how far away it was. "Then again... Neither of us could throw it that far..." They both sat down on the roof, defeated.

"What's a grappling hook doing up here, anyway?" Teepo asked Ryu. Just then, they heard a familiar voice call out to them.

"Ryu! Teepo!" Rei came hopping across the roof to them. "Looks like everything went according to plan. How was was it inside? Any trouble?" Ryu gave him a flabbergasted look. "Well, I would've gone in to help you, but I had to find something first."

"It was pretty scary," Teepo said. "There were a lot of ghosts and stuff, but it went ok..."

"For a half-baked plan coming from a person like you," Ryu added.

"Thanks," Rei said, "...I think. So now, we have to get to the other roof. But first, I need you to help me find something."

"You mean this?" Ryu handed him the grappling hook.

"Hey! That's my rope!"

"Yeah, we sort of figured. Kind of a funny thing to leave on a roof." Rei walked over to the edge of the roof, just before a steep mossy slope, and began to swing the hook around.

"Don't you worry," he said. "With this, we'll be over there in no time!" When he took a step forward to release the rope, his foot slipped on the wet moss as he came racing down the slope of the house. Just before he fell over the edge, Rei took a giant leap across the gap between the two roofs. When he got to the other side, he just barely landed on his feet. 'That was close,' he thought to himself. 'I'll just act like I did that on purpose... Yeah, that's it...' He took up the rope again and swung it in the air. He released it, and the hook went soaring through the night sky. It landed safely and securely on the roof Ryu and Teepo were on. They carefully grabbed the rope and climbed across it, putting one hand in front of the other. Once they got to the other side, Ryu and Teepo breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was really cool, Rei!" Teepo said excitedly. "And for a minute I thought that you were making us do all the hard work. While we were fighting ghosts, you were just taking it easy on the roof, and having a good time by yourself."

Rei sweated. "Hey, when the going gets tough...I'm there, yeah?"

"And then, the way you jumped all they across that roof! Be careful that you don't hurt yourself working like that!"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I didn't know you had to fight ghosts all by yourself. There, I said it, now will you stop worrying?" Ryu and Teepo nodded. The reunited trio then headed to the chimney where the smoke was coming from, and headed down a nearby ladder.

* * *

Back inside the manor, they found themselves in a small room. On one wall, there was a double door with a grand design on it.

"That must be the mayor's room," Rei said. The three of them crept up to the door, and put their ears to it. They could a woman screaming inside.

"Eeeek! Oh my, what are you doing, Mr. McNeil?"

"Come back here, you vixen! Hee hee..." responded a deep-throated voice.

"Tee hee! Oh, Mr. McNeil!"

"Come back here, you vixen! I won't bite... much! Hee hee!"

"Oh brother," Rei said to Ryu and Teepo. "Let's crash this little soiree." He kicked open the doors, and all three of them came rushing into the room.

"W, w, who are you??" the plump mayor asked, his voice quivering.

"Who cares who we are?" Ryu retorted. "We're here to take back all the money you stole!" All three of them brandished their weapons, and the mayor and his 'date' jumped back. The mayor ran behind the woman and tried to use her as a shield.

"Eeeekkk!" she screamed. "I don't have anything to do with this! Leave me out of it!" She pushed him out of the way, and ran off into the back room. The mayor stumbled back and fell on his rump.

"T-take back!?" the mayor said. "What do you mean? I just... I just..."

"Oh, come on now, Mr. McNeil," Rei said. "You've been cheating the people of the village out of their money so you can have your... fun, haven't you!?" Suddenl, the whole room began to shake. One by one, five small flames appeared around the room.

"Enough!" one of the flames boomed. "You have been a disgrace to the McNeils..."

"That's them!" Teepo said. "Those are the ghosts we beat before! The ghosts of the old McNeils!"

"Hmph! You may have surprised us before, but that was then! Now you must face all of us, not this pathetic excuse for a McNeil!" A pool of darkness rose out of the floor. The five flames slowly sank into it, and disappeared. Then, in a bright flash of light, a giant ghost, with multiple faces across its body, materialized in front of Ryu, Rei, and Teepo.

"NOW YOU SHALL FEEL THE TRUE WRATH OF THE MCNEIL FAMILY!!!" the phantom cackled.

"Something tells me," Ryu said, "that they're not playing around anymore..." The large ghost slowly faded out and vanished. It reappeared right behind Teepo, and swung with his large arms. The attack slashed right through Teepo's armor and knocked him flat on the ground.

"Teepo!" Rei ran over and helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"It hurts," Teepo said, "but I'll be fine." He got back up and faced the monster. It laughed at his attempt to fight back, but it didn't faze Teepo. He charged straight at it and drove his sword into one of the warping faces in its side. The monster screamed out in pain and tried to swing at him.

"Look out!" Ryu cried as he tackled him out of the way. Ryu and both hit the ground hard, but got back up almost immediately. The ghost floated towards them, but then stopped after Rei came up from behind it and slashed at its back twice with his daggers.

"C'mon!" Rei said. "Let's take him down all at once!" Ryu and Teepo nodded. They stood side by side, and charged at the phantom. Rei jumped back, and lunged towards its head. All at once, Ryu's and Teepo's swords and Rei's daggers pierced through its large head. It let out a wail that echoed through the whole house. Beams of light shot out of all of its wounds as the three stepped away from it. The ghost was flailing its arms around as it boke apart and disintegrated completely.

"Whew, now that was tough," Ryu said. "We all did good! Especially you, Teepo! You were exceptionally good, this being your first real job!"

"Thanks a lot!" he smiled. "We all did our best tonight, so I shouldn't get all the thanks!" Then they all turned to the stunned mayor, still sitting on the ground.

"Waaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!" he cried like a baby. "W-w-w-what's going on!? I-I-I-I-I was just... I never did... yikes!"

"Take it easy old man," Rei said. "Those were your ancestors. We're just here to take your money, ok?" The mayor looked confused.

"You're pretty dense, aren't you?" Ryu said. "Hurry up and show us where the money is!"

"T-the m-money's over t-there," he stuttered. "P-p-please don't k-k-kill me... oh, p-p-please..." Rei and Ryu just smiled, and headed into the back room.

"Hey, Teepo!" Ryu called out to him. "Come take a look at all this gold!" Teepo eagerly ran past the mayor and into the back room. The woman from before came running back out of the room and stopped in front of the mayor.

"You wimp!" she yelled at him. "What a jerk! Those robbers are a lot more manly than you are! Hmph!" She ran out of the room and left him alone.

The mayor started to weep. "...Ha ha ha ha... wahhhh!!" He started to blubber like an oversized baby. "Just you wait... we'll see who has the last laugh... you little brats! I'll show you who has the real power here..."

* * *


	5. Disaster Strikes!

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Disaster Strikes!**

After looting the Mayor of all his money, Ryu, Rei, and Teepo evenly distributed the money, and left sacks of gold at the doorsteps of the slumbering villagers. Little did the "Heroes of the Cedar Woods" know, the real trouble wouldn't begin until the next day...

* * *

The next morning, at Ryu's treehouse, Ryu, Rei, and Teepo were all sitting at the table together. 

"That was a lot of fun," Ryu said. "Wasn't it, Rei?"

"Mr. McNeil looked so silly!" Teepo couldn't help but laugh.

"There's no one who can beat our undefeatable trio! We're the best!"

"I don't know if I would go that far," Rei said. "But I would say that things went pretty well last night, eh?"

"I can't wait till I see the looks on their faces now!" Ryu said.

"Yep, even the people in the village will start treating us with even more respect than ever now."

"You bet they will! We haven't stolen anything lately, and we killed that Nue... Come on! Let's go down to the village! I want to hear everyone tell us how grateful they are!" With that, they all headed out the door.

* * *

When they arrived at the village, it was as if nothing happened. A woman walked by, and Ryu approached her. 

"Hi there! It's me, Ryu! You know, the big hero?"

"Humph! Some hero you are!" she snapped back at him. "First you break into Mr. McNeil's mansion, then you take his money at scatter it all across town? If that's your idea of a sick joke, then it's not very funny! And you, Teepo! I can't believe you let Ryu talk you into doing these crazy antics with him! Hmph!" She angrily walked off.

"What?" Teepo said. "I don't understand... why do they hate us so much? I thought we did a good thing last night..."

"Only one way to find out," Rei said cracking his knuckles. "Let's go find Loki and get the truth out of him!" They all headed down the south road towards the farmlands. Standing just outside the hut where they first got their job from Loki, was the green robed man himself.

"Why, h-hello, Ryu and friends." He looked nervous. "N-nice weather, eh?"

"Hey, Loki!" Rei walked up to him. "We did just like you said--we gave McNeil's money to everyone."

Loki started to sweat. "SHHHHH!!! Don't say that so loudly! People will hear you... If McNeil finids out, he'll kill me..."

"What are so afraid of, anyway?" Teepo asked him. "You said McNeil was the bad guy..."

"SHHHHH!!! All right, all right... Just don't talk about it here! We can go talk about it in the hut. You go on ahead, ok?" All three of them gave him a distrusting look, and headed into the hut. Inside, they patiently waited for Loki to come in.

"Rei..." Ryu said. "Something's wrong..."

"We'll get that Loki fellow to explain what's going on," said Rei. Just then, a cow came walking into the hut. Following it was the old lumberjack, Bunyan.

"B-B-Bunyan?" Teepo looked surprised.

"I was hired to take care of the cows," he simply replied. "So whatever I say is going to be to the cows..."

"What's going on!?" Rei demanded. "We're waiting for Loki."

"Hey, cow," Bunyan said, ignoring Rei. "Did you hear that that fellow Loki thought he could have an easy life if got ahold of McNeil's money, but he didn't know that McNeil was working for the a big gang of crooks that doesn't like being stolen from? Sounds pretty dangerous, doesn't it, cow?" The cow let out a loud moo.

"What does he mean, Rei?" Teepo asked.

"It means..." Rei paused. "We shouldn't be hanging around here too long... I think we should get back to the treehouse. Fast!!" They all scrambled for the door and headed back into the forest.

* * *

When they got back to the treehouse, what they saw both shocked and appalled them. The treehouse was burning in a red hot inferno, chunks of it falling off and into the stream below. 

"Wha... what the...?" Ryu was speechless. Rei ran up to the burning house.

"What's going on?" he asked. "What happened?"

"Rei!!" Teepo suddenly cried out. Rei looked behind him, and saw two large horse-men.

"Hmm, I was wondering what our thieves looked like," one of them said. "They're just a bunch of kids, ain't they, Balio?"

"No worries, Sunder," the other horse-man said. "Time for school... a lesson in the school of life, eh?"

"You mean..." Ryu shook his fists. "You..."

"That's right," said Balio. "You're a little too big for your britches, my boy... so now it's time for your spanking!" They took a step forward, and Teepo was ready to pull out his sword.

"Hey, look, bro," said Sunder. "They're gonna try and fight!"

"Kids... they just don't wanna do what they're told, do they?" Rei ran in front of the two boys.

"If you lay even one finger on them I'll---" Rei pulled out his daggers. Balio laughed began to flex his muscles. Electricity began to appear around the horn on his head. A bolt of lightning shot out and struck Rei in the chest, sending him flying across the woods and out of sight.

"Rei!!" Ryu cried out. He turned to face Balio and Sunder, and drew his sword. Before he could act, Teepo got in front of Ryu. "Teepo! Get out of the way!"

"No, Ryu!" Teepo shouted. "Let me handle this! You can get away while I distract them!" Teepo charged at Sunder, swinging his sword wildly. Sunder simply stepped to one side, and gave a swift punch to Teepo's stomach, knocking him all the way into the stream.

"Teepo! No!" Ryu clenched his teeth and hands. "You... you... MONSTERS!!!" Ryu came running straight at both of them, ready to fight to the death. Balio and Sunder both came in with kicks to Ryu's face. The insensity of the blow sent Ryu into the air and crashing into the ground. He tried to get back up, but couldn't. He looked at the two horse-men as his vision faded, fell back down and passed out.

* * *

When Ryu got up, he found himself in a bed. He looked around, and realized that he was in Bunyan's cabin. Unfortunately, Rei and Teepo were nowhere to be found. 

"Huh?" Ryu said. "How did I get here? Rei! Teepo! Where are you?" There was no response. He headed for the door, and the moment he opened it, Bunyan was standing just outside.

"..." Bunyan was quiet for a moment. "All I found... was you, alone and wounded in the woods... I always told you you'd get in trouble one day... but I never thought something like this would happen..."

"This isn't happening..." Ryu fell to his knees. Tears came streaming down from his face. "This isn't real! Rei... Teepo... they can't be... they just can't be... gone..." He couldn't contain it anymore. More and more tears came from his eyes. "They were my friends... They were my only friends... They can't be dead!!!"

Bunyan squatted down and put his hand on Ryu's shoulder, trying to comfort him. "I'm afraid that Teepo and Rei are..."

"NO!!!" Ryu knocked Bunyan's hand off him. "You're lying! I refuse to believe it! They must still be alive! If I was able to survive, why couldn't they!?" He got up, and started to head for the edge of the woods.

"Where do you think you're going? Looking for them?"

"Yes. I bet they're still alive, and probably took cover in a big city like Wyndia to get away from those thugs!"

"Wyndia!? Did you say you're going to Wyndia?"

"Do I have to repeat myself? And nothing you say or do is going to stop me, either!"

"...I see... You just watch yourself, you hear? Just follow the Yraall Road towards the east, and it'll be in plain sight."

"Thank you, Bunyan." Ryu then wiped the tears from his eyes, and headed off towards the main road.

"Wait, Ryu. Take this." Bunyan tossed him a small backpack.

"What's this?"

"A camping set. You shouldn't go travelling without one, even if it is for just a short distance."

"Thanks again." Ryu turned around and continued on his way.

"Good luck to you, boy. And I sure hope that I am wrong." Bunyan turned around and slowly walked back into his cabin.

* * *

When Ryu got to the main road, he looked to the east, and saw a large mountain, just across a river. "There's Mt. Myrneg," he said, "and right on the other side is Wyndia. I'm a little scared. What if I'm wrong about all this? What if Teepo and Rei aren't there...? ...No, I can't be so negative. I still have to go on, no matter what!" He then pulled his backpack up on his back, and headed across the river towards the mountain path. At the foot of the mountain, Ryu found a signpost. It read: 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right: To Wyndia

Left: To Mt. Myrneg Peak (DANGER)

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Looks like I'm heading right," said Ryu. He took off towards the right. After going about halfway around the mountain, he stopped, and gasped at what was in front of him. It was Sunder, the younger of the two horse-men brothers that are responsible for Ryu's suffering. He was standing in front of a tree, trying to releve himself. Ryu tried to contain his anger, and quietly snuck past him. Sunder felt someone was behind him, but assumed it was his brother Balio.

"Hey, wait up, now," he said. "It takes me a while to finish, ya know?" Ryu tried to take another step, but Sunder said, "W, wait I said. Just a little... more..." After he was finished, Sunder zipped up his pants. "Whew." He turned around, and saw Ryu standing right in front of him. "Ok, bro, let's go... hm? Wha!? You're not my brother! Who're you? Wait a minute... You're supposed to be dead!"

"Uhh..." Ryu didn't know what to say or do. Sunder started to run away.

"GH-GHOST!! Help me!" he screamed as he ran into his older brother.

"Ghost!?" Balio said. "What're you talking about!?"

"Help! Help me, bro, come quick!" He grabbed his arm, and pulled him back to Ryu. "Look here! He's dead! I mean... I mean..." Balio saw Ryu, and his eyes widened. "He's alive!" Sunder cried. "It's a zombie!!!" He slowly backed up and hid behind the tree that he just whizzed on.

"This sure is a surprise," said Balio. "Is he really alive?" Sunder came back from behind the tree, with a sword in his hand.

"I'm scared, bro! It's a vampire!!!" Balio took a step towards Ryu. He was too petrified to move.

"Maybe we didn't finish him off..." said Balio. Sunder edged closer and closer to Ryu from behind. "No... no, he's supposed to be dead... hold it, you idiot!" Suddenly, Sunder took the sword in his hand, and thrust it into Ryu's back. The blade went all the way through Ryu's body. He left it in there for a while, then pulled the blood-stained sword back out. Ryu slowly fell to the ground, blood gushing out of his body.

"Is he dead?" Balio asked poking his body.

"I'm not afraid of a dead zombie!" Sunder shouted triumphantly, letting out a laugh like a horse's whinny. "We killed him! We're the strongest!" Balio laughed with his brother. Suddenly, they both heard a sound, like a heart throbbing.

"Wha...!?" Sunder looked surprised. The throbbing sound came again. They both looked at Ryu. His hand, covered in his own blood, was twitching.

"Wha..." Balio said, "...what the hell!?" Ryu's wounds began to slowly close up. Soon, there no evidence that Sunder had stabbed him, except for the blood still on his body. Ryu's body started to glow white, and he started to change. His arms and legs turned into claws, wings and a tail sprouted out of his back, and horns grew out of his head. When the light faded, the unconscious boy in front of Balio and Sunder had turned into a baby dragon.

"Hey, bro...!" Sunder said, holding his head. "What's happening?"

"He's not human," said Balio. "Is he invulnerable!?"

"Yikes! C'mon, bro, let's get outta here!"

"Wait! Hold on, bro. I have an idea... we may have just found our lucky pot o' gold..."

* * *

Moments later, in the bustling city of Wyndia, Balio and Sunder gained entrance to the castle, to present the king with a most startling discovery. They stood just feet away from the king, queen, and their little daughter, with a covered up cage in front of them. 

"And it be in truth a dragon?" the king asked them.

"It certainly is, Your Highness," Balio politely responded.

"It's for real!" Sunder added. "A real dragon!"

"Hmmm... If what you say is true... then this is a most serious matter..."

"Indeed," said Balio. "They tried to destroy the world..."

"Hey, bro," Sunder whispered to him. "I think it's actually gonna work..." Balio gave a subtle nod.

"Your Highness, I give you... the dragon!" He pulled the covers off the cage. The king and queen gasped, and the princess just looked on. Inside the cage was Ryu, totally oblivious to what just happened.

"Uh... bro..." Sunder said.

"What...?" The king leaned out of his throne.

"Oh no!" Balio cried. "He's gone back to being a kid!"

"Let's try hitting him again!!" Sunder suggested. Balio walked up to the cage and gave it a good kick. Ryu scrambled away from him, to the opposite corner of the cage. Then Sunder came up and kicked it.

"Hey, kid!" Balio said. "C'mon! Why won't you change, huh!?" He and his brother continued to kick and rattle the cage around. Ryu was terrified. The queen quietly looked on, and the little girl covered her eyes. The king was becoming more and more angry, until finally, he pounded his fist down on his throne.

"Enough!!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. "Explain yourselves, you charlatans!" Balio and Sunder didn't know what to say, and Ryu was still to shaken up to respond. "Arrest these con men and their so-called 'dragon'!" The guards immediately grabbed Balio and Sunder. Another guard opened the cage and pulled Ryu out.

Ryu had finally got his senses back to say something. "Hey! Put me down! I have nothing to do with these guys! Hey! Put me down!" The guards ignored him as all three of them were carried off to the dungeon.

* * *


	6. Fight or Flight

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Fight or Flight**

Later that day, in the damp darkness of the Wyndia dungeon, Ryu, Balio, and Sunder were sitting in their cells, Ryu being in a separate cell than the other two. Ryu was kicking at the door, hoping that it would give in. Sunder walked up to the wall and started beating it.

"Shut up over there, you punk! Stop making that racket!" he yelled at him.

"Why don't you shut up, manure-breath!?" Ryu snapped back at him. "I didn't do anything wrong! It's your fault I'm in here!"

"Our fault!? It's your fault!! If you had just turned back into a dragon, we wouldn't be down here!"

"What the heck are you talking about!? What dragon!?"

"Uggh, forget you!" He turned to Balio, who was slowly pacing around the cell. "We're gonna miss the Contest, bro..." Balio didn't reply. Just then, They heard the metal doors outside clanging open. A little girl, about Ryu's age, with long blonde hair up in a ponytail, and in an elegant red dress with frilly white lace decorations, came walking down the corridor and stopped in front of Ryu's cell. Ryu looked at her, and saw a small pair of feathery wings protruding from her back. He then recognized her as the girl in the throne room, obviously the princess.

"Hello there," she said to Ryu. "I'm Nina."

"What are you doing here?" Ryu asked her.

"I felt sorry for you, being treated like that. So I thought I'd let you go!" She held up the key to the cells. Sunder overheard and ran up to the cell door.

"T...Thank you!" he cried with glee. "Hear that, bro? She said she'll let us go!" Nina walked up to Balio's and Sunder's cell.

"Not you," she said. "If I let you go, you'll just pick on him again, won't you?" Balio walked up to her.

"We wouldn't do that, Princess Nina," he tried to sound nice. "I swear, we won't pick on him ever again. So...if you could please open that door..."

Nina was silent for a moment. She looked at them, and tilted her head curiously. "...Really?" Balio and Sunder nodded their heads eagerly. She began to think to herself. After about another moment, she walked to their cell door. "All right then..." She put her key into the door and unlocked it. Balio slid the door open and he and his brother walked out.

"Thank you, Princess," said Balio with his fake tone of kindness.

"And you won't pick on him again, right?"

"Oh, no... We won't do anything to THAT kid anymore..." Nina looked confused. Suddenly, Sunder walked behind her and chopped her in the back of the neck. She fell to the ground. Sunder let out a laugh.

"Way to go, bro!" he said. Balio walked up to Nina and hoisted her over his shoulder.

"Besides," said Balio, "who needs that freak when we have a princess? She's worth a lot more money, anyway!" They both laughed as they carried her off deeper into the dungeon. Ryu was banging on the door, trying to get some attention.

"Hey! They're getting away!" he shouted. "Guards! Someone! Anybody! Help!!!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, but nobody came. "Only one thing left to do." Ryu backed up and rammed the door with his shoulder. He bounced off and hit the ground. He rubbed his shoulder. "Ow! That hurt! But if I don't keep trying, those creeps will get away with the princess!" He got back up, and tried to ram it again. He fell down again, but sprang back up. Ryu backed up all the way to the wall, and charged at the door with all his strength. The door came flying out of its hinges as it slammed into the opposite wall.

"Guess I don't know my own strength," Ryu said looking at the broken door. He immediately gave chase after Balio and Sunder. At the end of the corridor was a staircase leading down. Ryu dashed straight down it.

* * *

In the small room below, Ryu saw Nina trying to break free from Sunder's grip. 

"Let me go!" she shouted. "Let me go, I said!"

"Sorry, Princess," said Sunder, "No can do! We've got to get our ransom money first!" Balio looked out of the corner of his eye and saw Ryu.

"You again!" he shouted.

"Oh no, not him again!" Sunder took his frustration out on Nina, kicking her against the wall.

"I've had it up to here with him!"

"Leave her alone!" Ryu pulled out his sword. "You hurt me, and you hurt my friends! I'm going to make sure that you never hurt anyone ever again!"

"Enough is enough!" said Balio. "This time we'll kill him for sure!"

"But bro, what if he turns into a dragon again?" asked his brother.

"We've got the Princess! He wouldn't try to do anything stupid while she's with us!"

Just then, Ryu came charging towards both of them, swinging his sword at them wildly. They jumped back some, trying to avoid the blade. Ryu then turned to Nina.

"Run!" he shouted to her. "Go hide somewhere! I'll hold them off!" She nodded, and ran off further into the dungeon.

"No! She's getting away!" Sunder said trying to chase after her. Ryu lunged at him and swung his sword at him. Sunder tried to dodge, but the tip of the blade cut straight across his arm. He grabbed his wound, trying to keep the blood in. "You... little punk!!" He ran up to Ryu and gave him a kick to the head, knocking him into the wall. Balio's horn began to produce electricity again, and a bolt of lightning shot out and shocked Ryu. Ryu slowly fell to the ground, his body not twitching this time.

"Is he dead now?" Balio asked.

"I don't care right about now!" said Sunder. "We have to go find the princess!" They both ran down the corridor and left Ryu for dead.

* * *

Moments later, Ryu regained consciousness, and looked around. Balio and Sunder were gone, and Nina was sitting down next to him. 

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"Unnnh... my head..." Ryu said, rubbing his head.

"That's good... that means the medicine worked. While you were fighting with them, I was able to find a place to hide. Because of your bravery... because you fought them, I was able to get away. Thank you, um, what was your name?"

"Ryu. My name is Ryu."

"Then, thank you, Ryu. Come on, let's get out of here."

"But how? I can't just waltz out through the main gate."

"We should be able to get to the city this way." Nina pointed to the doorway she ran into earlier. "It leads to the family graveyard, and goes out to the side of the castle."

"Okay, then, let's go!" They both headed into the doorway. The graveyard was underground, so the rooms were built around the rocky formations of the caverns. There were large tombstones littered across the room.

"Which way should we go?" Ryu asked looking around. Suddenly, he felt something grab his leg. He looked down, and saw a zombie crawling out of the ground, using him to pull itself up. Ryu grabbed its head and pushed it away. The zombie reached out to him, and he unsheathed his sword. "Stand back, Nina, I'll handle---" Just then, a large fireball came rushing past him and set the zombie ablaze. It fell to the ground, groaning in pain as it burnt back into the ashes that it formed from. Ryu turned around to see Nina holding up a small wand, smoke coming from the crystal ball on its tip.

"You were saying something?" she giggled. "Just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I don't know how to protect myself."

"That was amazing!" Ryu said. "I didn't know you could use magic! I always thought that magic was just a myth!"

"Anyone can use magic, if they have chrysm."

"Chrysm? What's that?"

"You don't even know what chrysm is? Where have you been living, in the woods?"

"Well, actually..."

"Chrysm is basically magic in a crystallized form. It is one of the most precious substances in the world, used by magicians as a way to hone their magical powers. I also heard that scientists use it to power the ancient machines of the Techno Age."

"That sounds so cool! I lived in the woods, so I---" Ryu stopped. He didn't want to go on because of the painful memories. His expression changed from fascinated to depressed.

"What's wrong, Ryu?" Nina asked him.

"...Nothing. Come on, we still need to get out of this place." Just then, more zombies came rising out of the ground, their flesh rotting off and drool oozing from their mouths. They came from all around and surround Ryu and Nina.

"We're trapped!" Nina hid behind Ryu. "There's no way out!"

"Then we'll just have to make our own way!" With his sword still in his hands, he charged towards one of the zombies and chopped it apart with his blade. He turned around and motioned to Nina to take his hand. She willingly obliged, and Ryu started to pull her along, away from the crowd of undead. More and more zombies appeared as they ran across the crypt. When they reached a dead end, Ryu skidded to a halt. They both turned around to see the zombies closing in on them from all sides. Nina began to huddle up to Ryu, who was trying to swing his sword to keep them back. He stopped when he felt the ground below them sinking. They both looked down, and the dirt began to break away. Ryu and Nina both fell into the dark hole.

* * *

When they hit the bottom, they were in another crypt, except this one had a bit more masonry work in it. There were tombstones lined up neatly next to a brick path leading up to a larger tombstone. 

"Well, it looks like we made it," Nina said letting out a sigh of relief. "Now all we have to do is get far away before those two creeps find us."

"Wait," Ryu said. "We're in Wyndia, right? I came here looking for someone. I need to search the city first. Their names are Rei and Teepo, have you heard of them?"

"Rei and Teepo? I'm sorry... I've never heard those names before in my life, but I'll help you look for them!"

"Is that really okay with you? I don't think it's a good idea..."

"No, it's all right. As a member of the royal family, it's my job to help people in trouble. Let's go, Ryu!" They both headed down the stone path and out through a light-filled doorway. They were finally outside, in a small alley just below the castle. The air was fresh and crisp, unlike the pungent smell of the crypt. People were walking the streets everywhere, doing various things. Little kids ran circles around the grown-ups, playing with eachother.

"Why don't we try asking those kids over there?" Nina suggested. She took Ryu by the hand and pulled him over to a group of kids playing by a fountain. "Excuse me," she said to one of the boys, "we were wondering if you could help us find someone."

"I don't know," the boy replied. "But not too long ago, someone I've never seen before headed into the inn..."

"That could be Rei or Teepo!" Ryu said. "Let's go, Nina!" She nodded, and they both headed towards the inn. Inside, the owner greeted them.

"What can I do for you, kids?" he asked them kindly.

"Did anyone come in here recently?" Ryu asked him. "Someone with blond hair and a big tail, or maybe a kid about my size with long purple hair?"

"Hmm... I don't know. There was someone here, but they already left. I'm not very good at remembering appearances, even if they have obvious features. I think they were headed down the road."

"That's all I need to know, thank you." Ryu and Nina headed back out the door.

"Maybe it's your friends!" Nina said. "Let's go, Ryu!"

"What about you? Shouldn't you be going back to the castle about now?"

"I told you before, it's my duty to help those in need. Besides, who's going to take care of you if you get beat up again?"

"...Okay, you win. Come on, let's go." They both headed out of the city gates and towards the main road.

* * *

Before they got to the main intersection, they passed by a small house. 

"Why don't we check out that house?" Nina asked. "Maybe they saw someone pass through here." They both walked up to the door. "I'll wait out here. I'll be fine." Ryu knocked on the door and slowly opened it. Inside was an elderly couple, sitting at a table.

"Mmm, who's there?" the old woman asked.

"Excuse me," Ryu started, "you wouldn't have happened to have seen---" Suddenly, the scream of a little girl was heard outside. Ryu quickly turned around. "Nina!" He rushed back out the door. Balio and Sunder were waiting outside, with Nina tied up, and Sunder holding a sword in his hand.

"You guys again!" Ryu said clenching his teeth.

"Ryu!!" Nina shouted. Ryu reached for his sword. Sunder then pulled his sword up to Nina's throat.

"Don't try anything," said Balio, "my little lizard friend..." Ryu's hand began to shake, and Ryu slowly let his grip go from his sword. "Good move--you see, there's no use resisting, punk..." Balio slowly walked up to Ryu. "We don't really care about you anyway." He gave a mean glance at Nina. "But things would get messy if you ratted on us, see? We can't take that chance." He took a several more steps towards Ryu, but he stood his ground. "But it would get even messier if we tried to kill you here and you turned into a dragon again..." He bent over and put his hands on his knees. "Don't worry. We've got it all figured out, see? But enough yapping! Say good night!" He gave a swift uppercut into Ryu's stomach. Ryu grabbed his stomach, and passed out on the ground.

* * *


	7. The Great Escape

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 7: The Great Escape**

Ryu couldn't move his body at all. He couldn't see anything, either. He only heard voices around him.

"Let's get this over with," said one of the voices. "We're not getting payed to work overtime!"

"I'm going as fast as I can!" another voice said. Then, the sound of a lit fuse could be heard. The hissing sound became louder, and then was drowned out by an explosion. Ryu was able to move now, and saw that he was in an old mine shaft. He looked in front of him to find two surprised miners.

"What the!?" one of them said. "It's still alive! I thought it was just a fossil!" He pulled out his mining pick and took a swing at Ryu. Ryu ducked out of the way.

"Watch where you're swinging that!" he tried to shout at him, but it came out as a high-pitched screech. Ryu was surprised at this. He looked at himself, and instead of seeing his hands, he saw a pair of claws. He observed his body a little bit more, and noticed that he was inside a dragon's body!

"I think you made it mad!" the other miner said, pulling out his pick. "I bet the two of us can kill it by ourselves!" They both began to approach Ryu.

"No! Wait a minute! Stay back!!" Ryu tried to yell at them, but instead of words, a jet of flames shot out of his mouth. The blast devoured the miners and burnt them to a crisp. Ryu was shocked at what he just did. He ran past their dead bodies and tried to find a way out. He ran into another miner.

"Wha...? A dragon? Alive?" The miner edged a little closer to Ryu. "A-are you for real?"

"Listen to me! There's some kind of mistake!" Ryu said. Once again, it only came out as a squawk. The miner jumped back and ran off screaming. "D-D-DRAGON!!!" Another pair of miners ran up to him.

"Heh, I'm not scared of some little dragon! Let's get it!" They came after Ryu with their picks. Ryu tried to run away. He headed down another shaft and headed outside. He came out of what looked like a giant skeleton, and in front of him was a frightened worker standing behind the controls to a crane. A large ox-man then walked up to Ryu.

"I'll take care of this," he said to the nervous worker. "Come here, I ain't gonna hurt you." Ryu gullibly approached the ox-man. Then, the ox-man turned to the worker. "NOW!" he shouted. The worker operated the crane controls. "Take this, monster!" he yelled at Ryu. The crane swung around, and before Ryu could react, it smashed him head on in the face.

* * *

Ryu woke up with a shock, sweat running down his face, gasping for air. 'Another dream,' he thought to himself. 'Maybe... they aren't dreams at all... Maybe Balio and Sunder are right? What if I am a dragon? What if I am a monster...'

"Ryu!" His thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice. He turned to his right, and saw Nina sitting right next to him, still tied up. He tried to move to her, but saw that he was tied up too.

"Nina!" Ryu said. "Where are we?"

"We're in the desert town of Genmel," she said, "a city to the southwest of Wyndia. Those creeps knocked you out and took us into a bar. Be quiet. I think they're still around here..." They both remained silent, and sure enough, they heard Balio and Sunder's voice from behind the wall.

"Okay, Fahl," Balio said, "they're all yours."

"I just gotta keep an eye on them, right?" came a voice.

"Yeah, just keep your eyes on them, and your hands off the bottle, okay? We've got better things to do than worry about a couple of kids."

"All right, all right, I got you, Mr. Balio."

"Thanks, Fahl. Okay you brats," he shouted to Ryu and Nina. "You two will get yours once the Contest is over. For now, just stay here and behave, okay?" Balio then walked out of the bar. Sunder turned to face a large man. In fact, it wasn't even a man, it was a large gargoyle-man, with muscles almost twice as big as Sunder's, wearing a simple monk's robe, with necklaces full of prayer beads around his neck. He appeared to be a man of religion. He was sitting down at a table, with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"You better take it easy, too, Garr," Sunder said to him. "The Contest's coming up soon, you know." The large man didn't respond. Sunder just shrugged, and headed out the door after his brother. The moment he left, Fahl, the bartender, pulled out a bottle of whiskey, and started chugging it down.

"I think they're gone now..." Nina whispered. "So Ryu... are you alright? You were squirming around in your sleep."

"I'm okay," Ryu quietly answered. "I was having some sort of dream... It was more like a memory than a dream though... But that doesn't matter right now. Maybe I'll tell you later."

"Okay. If only we could get out of these ropes..." Then, Ryu began to impulsively chew at his ropes. Amazingly, he was able to chomp through the thick rope with his teeth. The rope slipped off him and onto the ground, and he crawled over to Nina and undid her knot.

"Wow, Ryu!" Nina looked surprised. "How did you do that?"

"I don't know... I just started chewing by myself... it was like an instinct."

"You bit all the way through them! Now maybe we can get out of here!" Nina got up and peeked out of the corner of the wall. She saw Fahl still drinking his whiskey. She ducked back behind the corner.

"That guy Fahl looks like he's had too much to drink," she said to Ryu. "Maybe we can sneak past him..." They both came from around the wall, slowly sliding across the ground past the bartender. Garr noticed them out of the corner of his eye, but apparently didn't seem to care. Ryu and Nina crept around the counter, and just before they could reach the door, Fahl slammed his bottle down on the counter.

"Hey!" He shouted at them. "Where do you think you're going?" They both froze in place.

"We're busted," Nina said sweating. Fahl gave them a funny look, and hiccuped.

"Uhhh," Ryu started, "nowhere! We're not going anywhere!" He tried to lie to the drunk, hoping he'd buy it.

"Nowhere..." he mumbled, then hiccuped again.

"That's right," Nina tried to assure him. "We'll be seeing you..."

"Okay, then... hic" He immediately went back to his drink as Ryu and Nina slowly walked out the door.

"We made it, Ryu!" Nina said happily. "I knew we could do it! Let's get out of here before he sobers up!"

"Right!" Ryu said. They both ran past the crowds of shady people and headed towards the exit. They looked around, and saw a bridge leading away from the desert and back into the lush greenlands. However, standing at the bridge were a couple of thugs, probably belonging to Balio and Sunder.

"Now what, Ryu?" Nina looked worried. She looked around some more, and saw a path leading into the mountains in the east. "Look over there! Maybe we can find a way out over there!" They both headed into the mountains.

* * *

The road was not as smooth as it had originally appeared. It was jagged, and there were many cliffs. Ryu decided to hop up the cliffs, and then pull Nina up to him. At the top of the mountain, there was a small shack. A burly bald man dress in overalls stood outside the door, smoking a pipe.

"There's someone there," Ryu said to Nina.

"Maybe they can help us?" Nina wondered. They both walked up to the man.

"What're you kids doing up here in the mountains like this?" he asked them. "Never mind, come inside, and you can explain." He opened the door, and scooted them in. He followed afterwards. Once inside, he shut the door. "Now, what are you doing here?"

Nina explained to the man about their current situation. "...So, we're trying to get away from the bad men chasing us."

The man simply nodded. "Who exactly is chasing you now, little girl?"

"Umm... Some guys named Balio and... Sunder. Yeah, that's it, Balio and Sunder." The man's eyes widened slightly, then shrank back down. Nina looked a little puzzled. "Do you know them?" she asked.

"...I wouldn't worry about them," he replied. "Whoever they are, they won't come this far, now will they?" He paused for a brief moment. "Tomorrow, I'll put you two on the lift and take you somewhere you'll be safe. The sun's starting to go down, so the two of you should get some rest. Come with me. He walked to a door behind him, and opened it. "You tykes can sleep in here, okay?"

Nina gave him a formal bow. "Thank you very much, sir..." She looked at Ryu for a second, and saw a distrusting look on his face. "Come on, Ryu, let's go." They both walked into the room the man showed them to. The moment Ryu and Nina walked past him, the man slowly closed the door. Nina turned around and looked at Ryu again.

"What's wrong, Ryu?" she asked him, concerned.

"Something just doesn't... feel right," he said. "I got a bad feeling about all of this, Nina."

"You're just being paranoid. Just be glad that we've found some nice people for a change." She walked over to a crate, hopped on top of it, and started kicking her legs back and forth. "I'm not really sleepy right now."

"Um, Nina?" Ryu said.

"Hmm?"

"I was wondering... What are those little wings coming out of your back?"

"Oh, these?" She turned around and made them twitch a little. "It's something I was born with. According to ancient history, all the females of the royal family are born with wings. It was said that our people could turn into giant birds and soar across the sky, but it seems that we have lost that ability."

"That's interesting. It reminds me of Rei's tail..." He stopped. He looked depressed again as he sat down on the ground. Nina came down from the box, and sat down next to him.

"What's wrong now?" she asked him.

"I miss my friends. Rei... Teepo... Balio and Sunder destroyed our home, and tried to kill us. Bunyan, a man who saved me, said that I was the only one that survived. I didn't believe him. I know that Rei and Teepo are still alive, I just know it!" Ryu tried his best to hold back his sorrow and anger, but a small tear escaped him, and trickled down his cheek. Nina took Ryu's hand and placed it on hers.

"Don't worry," she said comforting him. "I'm sure they're both fine. We'll find Rei and Teepo together, that's a promise!" Ryu wiped the tear from his face and smiled at Nina.

"...Thanks. That means a lot to me." Just then, they heard the door outside open and shut. They both went up to the door and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. It was locked!

"That's funny," said Nina. "I wonder what's going on?" She tried to jiggle the handle, but it didn't help. She then knocked on the door. "Excuse me, sir," she shouted. "Could you please open the door?" She tried to knock again.

"Shh," said Ryu. "I think I can hear something." Nina bent over and put her ear on the door.

"You got them?" came Sunder's voice. Nina was shocked. The man was going to turn them over.

"Oh no, Ryu!" Nina cried. "Those bad men from before are here! We've got to get out of here!"

"I got an idea," Ryu said pointing to an open doorway leading out to the lift. "Let's try to get the lift going. Maybe we can escape that way!" He took Nina by the hand, and they both headed out the doorway. They both ran around the lift to the controls. There were no buttons or switches on it, only a little receiver.

"Great, now what?" Ryu said ruffling his hands across his head.

"It looks like it needs chrysm energy to be powered," Nina said. She pulled out her wand. "I think I can get it to work with my wand... Get into the lift, Ryu!"

"What about you? I'm not going to leave you behind!"

"Don't worry, I'll be alright...I think..." Ryu hesitated for a moment, and then jumped onto the lift.

* * *

Meanwhile, back in the room that Sunder and the man were in, they were still talking.

"...so, where are they?" Sunder asked him. The man pointed to the back room.

"They're right in there," he replied.

"Heh heh heh... You'll live a long, happy life, chunky!" Sunder then headed into the back room. The man took the pipe out of his mouth and bowed his head.

"Forgive me, children... I just don't want any trouble..."

* * *

Back at the lift, Ryu was eagerly waiting for Nina to power the lift.

"Chrysm energy is just like magic, so if I hit the panel with my wand, it should turn on!" Nina shouted to Ryu. "When it starts to move, I'll jump in!" She then turned to the panel, and readied her wand. Energy began to gather around the crystal ball on her wand. Just then, Sunder came into the area.

"There you are, you pipsqueaks!" he shouted. "Ah, there you are, princess. You're first..." He then started to slowly walk around the lift towards her. As he walked past Ryu, Ryu pulled out his sword, jumped out of the lift, and took a swing at him.

"Whoooa!!" Sunder said trying to jump back.

"Don't you lay a finger on her!" Ryu growled at him. After enough energy gathered in her wand, Nina swung her wand and struck the receiver on the panel. The chrysm energy in her wand surged into the panel, and sparks started to fly from it. The lift then began to shake a little.

"You little...!" Sunder grumbled. Ryu put away his sword and jumped back onto the lift just as it started to move along its track. "Uh-oh, it's moving! If I can just get the princess...!" Sunder started to run around the lift and towards Nina. She tried to jump onto the lift, but just missed it. She tried to run further ahead of it, but the lift began to speed up. Nina ran all the way to the edge, and decided to take her chance. She leapt across the air to the lift, and grabbed the edge of it.

"Ryu!!" she cried out to him. Ryu immediately ran up to her and grabbed her hand. "I'm scared! Don't let go!"

"Don't worry!" he said back to her. "I got you!" He slowly pulled her up and onto the lift as it rolled off from the station. Nina and Ryu both tried to catch their breath.

"I can't believe it!" Sunder said jumping up and down. "Not again! Bro's gonna kill me if I don't get them back!"

* * *

As the lift rolled across its tracks over the mountain, Ryu and Nina were finally able to breath a sigh of relief.

"Haa...haa...haa..." Nina was still trying to catch her breath. "Looks like we got away, Ryu."

"Yeah, looks like it. Haa...haa...haa..." Ryu was equally exhausted. Nina looked at him, and saw that he was happy, yet sad at the same time.

"You were actually worried about me?"

"Well, I was just... umm... yeah... you scared me for a second there. I thought you weren't going to make it."

"I, I'm sorry, but... I know that even if something went wrong..." She paused. Ryu was waiting for her to finish. "You'd do something to protect me, Ryu!" She looked at him and blushed a little. Ryu's face started flush a bright red. They remained quiet for the rest of the way. When the lift stopped at the other station, they both hopped off.

"I don't know exactly where we are," Nina said, "but we should be ok when we get off the mountain. Let's hurry before they catch up to us!" They both headed into the shack that overlooks the other station. It looked like nobody was there, so they hurried on out. Outside, to Ryu's and Nina's surprise, Sunder was waiting for them, panting like a dog.

"How did he get here so fast?" Ryu said.

"Hah... hah..." Sunder tried to catch his breath. "I... had to... run a...cross the... mountain... on foot... Now you two are going... hah... to get it!" He barely took a step forward when the two children ran off. They headed up a steep hill, all the way to the top. There was nowhere left to go.

"There's nowhere to go, Ryu!" Nina said.

"Bingo!" called Sunder, staggering up the hill. "Give it up! This little chase is over!" Ryu tried to look around for way to escape. Then, he came up with a plan.

"I've got an idea," he whispered to Nina. "But you're going to have to trust me on this... Do you trust me?" He held his arm out to her.

"What?" Nina looked confused.

"Do you trust me?" Nina was quiet. She slowly reached out and grabbed his hand. "Hold on tight," said Ryu.

"There's nowhere left to run, kids!" Sunder said snickering. "My men are blocking all the exits! You're stuck either way! That's life, kids, get used to it!"

"Who said anything about running, manure-breath?" Ryu stuck his tongue out at him. Without warning, he leapt off the side of the hill, bringing Nina with him, as they slid down the side.

"Wha...! That's insane!" Sunder said with his mouth gaping wide open.

* * *

Ryu and Nina were sliding down the hill at an incredible speed. Nina was screaming in terror as they neared the bottom. Ryu looked down, and noticed that they were going too fast.

'This is way too fast,' he thought. 'At this rate, we'll be crushed the moment we hit the ground! Unless...' Suddenly, he grabbed Nina and put himself in front of her just before they slammed into the ground, using his own body to cushion her landing. A big cloud of dust billowed out. When the dust settled, Nina was struggling to get up.

"Oww..." she said, rubbing her back. "That was a rough landing, wasn't it, Ryu?" There was no answer. "Ryu?" She looked behind her, and saw Ryu lying on his back, blood coming down from his forehead. "Oh no, Ryu!!" She ran up to him and knelt down beside him. "Ryu! Wake up!" She tried to shake him around, but he didn't budge. "Ryu, please! Please wake up! You can't... You can't be... oh, Ryu!!" She sniffled, and buried her face in his chest, crying. "Ryu!! Please don't die! What should I do!?" Just then, Ryu's body started to glow again. His wounds began to seal up, and he turned into a dragon again. Nina got up and looked at him. "Ryu, what's happened to you?"

Ryu slowly opened his eyes and got to his feet. He stared at Nina for a while, and then looked at himself. His eyes widened as he saw his new body. He squawked and ran off. "Ryu! Wait!" Nina called to him and ran after him. When she caught up to him, he was standing by the edge of the river, gazing at his reflection. He slowly shifted back into his normal form, and looked at Nina.

"It's true..." he said. "They were right... I am a dragon... I am a freak... I am a monster..." Ryu slowly got up and began to walk away.

"Ryu, please don't go!" Nina said to him.

"You wouldn't want to be around a monster like me. You'd probably be better off on your own." He kept on walking. Nina then ran up to him, grabbed him by the shoulders, and turned him around to face her.

"It doesn't matter if you're a dragon, or monster, or whatever!" she yelled at him. "To me, you are and always will be Ryu!" Ryu was silent. He bowed his head, thinking deeply. He then looked back at Nina, and smiled.

"You're right... I can't let one little thing get in the way of what we're trying to do. First, we need to make sure we've escaped those goons, then we still need to find Rei and Teepo!"

"That's the Ryu I know! Come on, we should get moving before they find us again."

"It'll take them a while to get all the way around the mountain, and it's already getting dark." He pointed to the sun, almost completely under the horizon. He pulled his backpack off of his shoulders and set it on the ground. "We should set up camp here and get some rest." Nina nodded, and helped him unload his equipment.

* * *

Moments later, Ryu and Nina finished pitching up the tent and got a large campfire going. Nina was sitting close to the campfire as Ryu emerged from the tent.

"I'm afraid there's only one blanket," Ryu said. "...You can take it."

"Me?" Nina asked. "I can't... I mean, you've saved my life more than once, and I still haven't found a way to repay you..."

"It's okay, I'll be fine." He helped her up, and guided her into the tent. After making sure Nina covered herself with the blanket, Ryu headed back outside. Nina couldn't sleep. How could she? There were so many things on her mind.

'Ryu is so nice to me,' she thought. 'He's saved my life more times than I can count now, and he's so unselfish. I feel so helpless... if there was only someway I could pay him back...' She then got back up, folded up the blanket, and peeked outside the tent. Ryu was quietly sitting by the fire, tossing twigs into it. Nina slowly walked up to him and sat down right next to him.

"Nina..." Ryu looked like he didn't even notice her coming.

"What are you doing?" Nina asked.

"...Just thinking about things... The first time I ever heard about this dragon stuff is when Balio and Sunder asked me why I didn't turn into a dragon back in Wyndia Castle. At first, I thought they were just talking crazy talk, but, after what just happened, I realize that they were telling the truth. I've also had these dreams... They kept telling me that I was different from other people, but I never thought that it would be this different..." Nina scooted a little closer to him.

"Like I said," she said, "it doesn't matter what you are... to me, you're Ryu, and nothing else." She took the blanket and wrapped it around the two of them. Ryu looked at Nina, and smiled. They huddled up to eachother, closed their eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *


	8. The Clockwork Tower of Doom!

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 8: The Clockwork Tower... of Doom!**

When Nina woke up the next morning, she found herself back inside the tent. She looked around, but Ryu was nowhere to be found. Suddenly, a light began to shine in through the opening of the tent. She got up and looked outside. The light faded, and she saw Ryu standing at the spot where the light originated.

"Ryu?" she tried to get his attention. "What was that light just now?"

"Nina, you're awake," Ryu said. "I was trying to do something. I think I'm able to control my ability to turn into a dragon. Watch." His muscles tensed up as he began to focus on the power hidden within him. In another flash of light, his body transformed back into its dragon form. He looked at Nina, and gave out a happy-sounding squawk. His body began to glow again as he changed back to normal.

"Wow, Ryu! That's great!" Nina said. "Umm, you're not still upset about finding out all these things, are you?"

"No, I'm over it now. I'll find a way to get used to this. Either way, we can't stand here talking about it forever. We need to get moving now before Balio and Sunder catch up." He went up to the tent and began to take it apart. After packing it back into his backpack, he took Nina's hand. "Let's go!"

"To where?" Nina asked him. Ryu froze in his tracks just as he started walking.

"Uhhh... I don't know." He looked to the east, and saw a large stone tower off in the distance. "How about over there?" he said, pointing to it. "It's just begging us to go there." Nina gave him her approval, and they both raced off towards it.

* * *

When they arrived at the foot of the tower, Nina walked past Ryu and stopped. She looked up to see how high the tower was, and turned to Ryu. "It's a pretty big house, isn't it?" she asked him. "Maybe we could stay here? We also need to ask someone how to get back to Wyndia, too..."

"Yeah," said Ryu, "but what I'm wondering is, can the next person we meet be trusted?" He had the man in the mountains in mind, and his betrayal. "Let's take a look inside," he finally said, and they both heded through the stone archway. Inside, the halls were lit by torches, revealing a very simple stone design all around. In the corner of the hall was something that resembled a coat rack, only that it was made of metal, and it had a large bulb-like head on the top with a design of a sleeping face.

"What is it?" Nina asked Ryu. Ryu just walked up to it and tried to kick it.

"It looks like its dead," he said. He kicked it again, and it fell over. Nina approached it and tapped it with her wand. The eyes on the face of the object opened up wide, and began to hover above the ground. It turned itself upright, and began to look around the room. It looked at Nina, then at her wand. It made a loud buzzing noise and moved closer towards her.

"_BZZZT... KAAA..._" The machine began to vibrate violently, and then tried to ram itself into Nina.

"Look out!" Ryu pushed her out of the way as the robot rushed past and slammed into the wall. It pulled itself back out of the dent in the wall it made, and turned around.

"I think we should run," Ryu said, helping Nina back up.

"I agree," she said as they ran down the hall and up a flight of stairs. The robot quickly followed after them. It continued to ram itself into them, crashing into the wall and breaking pillars.

"Let's try splitting up," Ryu suggested. "Think you can outrun it?" Nina nodded as they ran off in opposite directions. The robot sped off in Nina's direction without hesitation. Ryu stopped and turned around. "Hey, over here!" He shouted at it, waving his arms. The robot paid no attention too him, totally fixated on Nina.

"Why is it chasing me!?" Nina shouted as she tried to keep up her pace. The robot came closer and closer. She looked behind her and tripped on one of the cracks in the floor. She hit the ground, and her wand fell out of her hand and spun across the floor. The robot zipped right over her and headed towards the wand. It slowed to a crawl as it got closer and closer to the wand. Nina got back up and ran past the robot, grabbing her wand as she passed it. The robot started to vibrate again and chased after her again. Nina stopped and turned around.

"You want my wand so bad? Come and get it!" she yelled at it. Sparks began to fly off of the crystal ball on the wand's tip, and Nina swung it down. A bolt of lightning shot out and struck the robot right in its face. It began to make buzzing sounds as it started flying off in random directions, and then exploded into pieces. Ryu ran up to Nina to check on her.

"Remind me never to get you angry," Ryu said with wide eyes. Just then, the sound of something fragile breaking echoed across the hall. Ryu and Nina both turned around to see what it was. Near the end of the hall, A rusty old door opened a little, and a small yellow robot, about a third of the size of the two kids, came racing out, and ran past Ryu and Nina. Beams of light began to pour out of the cracks in the door, and then there was an explosion that shook the whole tower. Ryu turned around and saw the little robot calmly walk back into the room. They both decided to follow it, and peeked in the door.

* * *

Inside, there was a young woman, with long red hair tied up in long braids, and long rabbit-like ears, wearing a scholar's tunic and cap and a small pair of spectacles, completely covered in dirt and dust. The tiny robot from before was sweeping the broken glass and scattered dust off the floor with a broom.

"Hmmm..." the woman said to herself. "I guess the key lies in somehow stabilizing the pure chrysm..." The robot looked at Ryu and Nina, and dropped the broom. It approached the woman and began to tug at her tunic. "That's it!" she exclaimed, ignoring it. "If the gassification pressure is kept down... huh?" She finally turned around and glared at the robot. "_**WHAT!?**_" she yelled. She looked up and saw Ryu and Nina standing in the doorway. "_**YOU!?**_" she kept on yelling. "**_YOU'RE FRIENDS OF HONEY!? NICE TO MEET YOU!! I'M MOMO!!_**"

Nina politely bowed to her. "Ah, um, yes..." she said. "It's nice to meet you... Um, but you see..." Momo put her hand up to her ear.

"_**WHAT?**_" she continued to yell.

"...I was trying to say... we're not really friends, were trying to find the road to Wyndia..."

"_**WHAT? I'M SORRY! MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING FROM THAT LAST EXPLOSION!**_" Ryu and Nina looked at eachother. Ryu just shrugged, then Nina looked back at Momo and took a deep breath.

"_**HELLO!**_" she yelled at the top of her voice. "_**CAN YOU PLEASE SHOW US THE ROAD TO WYNDIA?**_" The room was silent for a moment. Momo put her hand down and blinked at them. Then, she put her hand back up to her ear.

"_**WHAT!?**_" Ryu and Nina fell over, flabbergasted.

* * *

Several moments later, Momo rubbed her ears. "I'm sorry... My ears are better now," she apologized to the two. "So, you want to go to Wyndia, you said?" Ryu was silent, and Nina just nodded. "No problem! I'll take you to Wyndia myself!"

Nina bowed to her again. "Thank you," she said. "I'll be sure to make it up to you when we get to the castle..." Momo looked confused.

"...Castle?" Nina nodded again. Momo jumped back. "Wait a minute, when you say your name is Nina..." She took off her glasses, cleaned them off on her tunic, and put them back on, then took a closer look at Nina. "Princess Nina!?" She immediately got down on the ground and started to grovel at her feet. "Y-y-y-your Highness! Please forgive me, I had no idea..."

"I... it's all right... You're helping us, after all. Please just call me Nina." Momo sprung back to her feet.

"Oh, really?" she asked. Okay, Nina, and... who's that over there?"

"Ryu," he simply replied. "Nice to meet you... I guess..." He began to think to himself. 'She looks like an airhead to me...'

"Ryu, is it? Okay then, Nina, and Ryu, shall we get going?" She headed for the door. "I have to get some things ready, so why don't you wait here for the time being?" She then turned to the robot called Honey, and put her hand on the ground. "C'mon, Honey, let's go." The robot ran up to her and lumped into her palm. Momo then lifted her up and onto her shoulder, then left the room.

"Ryu?" Nina turned to him. "Is there something on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing," Ryu said hesitantly. "I was thinking about last night..."

"Mmm?"

"You know, how you sort of... snuggled up to me that night."

"I was just... umm, making sure neither of us would get cold, yeah, that's it..." She started to blush a little. "It didn't bother you, did it?"

"No, no, not at all. It was just that..." Ryu trailed off as he looked at Nina. He never really noticed before, but he saw that her eyes sort of shined in the light. He was a little stunned at how pretty she looked. They both stared at eachother for a while. Then, Momo came back into the room, with a small rucksack on her back, and a large metal bazooka hoisted over her shoulder.

"Okay, I'm ready!" she shouted. Ryu immediately turned away from Nina, his face turning red. Momo looked at him. "What's your problem?" she asked him.

"Uhhh... nothing!" Ryu said rubbing his head, laughing. "What's that big old thing you got there?"

"This is my cannon! You can never be too careful when you leave your home! By the way, you two aren't being followed by a couple of shady looking characters, are you?" Ryu and Nina looked at eachother, then at Momo. They both nodded. "That's funny... when I went outside to buy something from a travelling manillo merchant that set up shop just by the door, I saw these rough-looking guys out there..."

* * *

At that time, two scruffy-looking men were standing in front of a small stand being run by a fish-man. They were holding up a paper with pictures of Ryu and Nina on it.

"Hey you, manillo..." one of the men said. "We're in a hurry... Did you see a couple of kids that looked like this run through here?"

"Hmmmmm..." the manillo looked at the pictures closely. "I think I saw some kids just before I set up shop here... I'm a merchant, see... So if you want to know anything some kids... it'll cost you, see?"

* * *

Back in the tower, Ryu and Nina gasped at what Momo said.

"Hey," said Momo, "there's no need to be afraid... I mean, inside this tower, I've been doing experiments involving chrysm. A lot of the deactivated robots in this place are attracted to chrysm and magic, and sometimes, they activate, and attack anything they see if they can't find the source of the chrysm."

"That must be why that robot from before was chasing Nina," Ryu said. "It wasn't trying to attack her, it wanted the chrysm in her wand."

"Exactly. And, on top of that, I set up traps to keep those robots, and pretty much anyone else, away from me so I could perform my experiments undisturbed. So don't worry!" Her ears twitched a little. "There's no way they're getting up here!"

"Umm, but we managed to get this far..." Ryu's statement brought Momo down from her triumphant mood.

"I guess you're right about that... How did you get up here, anyway?"

"Let's not worry about that now!" Nina said. "We have to get out of here!"

"R...right..." Momo began to pace back and forth across the room. Then, her ears perked up as she came up with an idea. "Since we can't get out by going down, we'll go up!"

"Wha?" Ryu looked puzzled. "Are you crazy?"

"Don't worry! There's a way out! C'mon, there's no time to waste!" She raced out the door, and Ryu and Nina quickly followed. They began to run up a huge flight of stairs, and about halfway up, the steps sank into the floor and formed into a slope. Ryu, Nina, and Momo came sliding all the way back down to the bottom.

"Oops," she said, embarassed. "I forgot about that trap..." She got up, pushed a button on the wall, and the stairs floded back up into place. "NOW let's go!" They all ran up the stairs to a single door at the top. Momo opened the door, and entered the mess that was the next room. There were bookcases everywhere, and books scattered across the tables and floor.

"Where are we?" Ryu asked Momo.

"This room is where my father used to work," she replied. "Sorry if it's bit of a mess... he wasn't exactly a neat freak..."

"Wasn't exactly...?" Ryu was trying to be sarcastic.

"There's a secret exit in here?" Nina asked. "Cool..."

"You bet!" Momo said. "My dad was really something! He was the greatest engineer in the whole world! And before he died, he told me he hid an escape device right here in his office! He always used to say, 'Always have a contingency plan!'" She walked up to the desk in the back of the room and got behind it. "Are you ready? Stand back!" She bent over and pressed a button under the desk. Suddenly, the whole tower began to shake violently. The bookshelves in the middle of the room began to slide away from the center of the floor. The central part of the floor then began to slide open, revealing a large rocket with handrails on its sides. The room began to shake even more as it rose up.

At that time, The thugs were already halfway up the tower when the quakes began. "What's happening!?" one of them said. "What's that noise!?" Sirens began to wail all across the tower as the rocket finally rose up high enough for Ryu and the others to grab the rails.

"Wow!" Nina cried, her eyes lighting up. "I've never seen anything like that in my whole life!"

"Only my dad could've made something like this!" Momo said.

"But... why did he create something to get away?"

"Just to prove that he could, I guess... My dad loved machines. Come on, let's try it out!" She walked up to it and grabbed one of the handrails. Ryu and Nina jumped up and grabbed the other rails, hanging on as tight as they could. "Now let's see here... I think he said you turn it on by pressing... this button!" Momo reached up and pushed a big red button. "Okay! Here we go... 3... 2... 1... Go!" The rocket began to rumble as it slowly lifted itself off of the ground. Then with a jerk, it shot straight up like a bullet and crashed through the ceiling. When they looked down, the tower looked like a small toy house.

"It worked!" Nina said. "Look, Ryu, we're flying!"

"This is actually pretty fun!" Ryu shouted back. Suddenly, the engine of the rocket started to sputter. Their ascent crawled to a halt. "Huh?"

"Uh-oh..." Momo said looking at a little gauge. "Dad forgot to put fuel in it when he finished it..."

"Uh-oh is right," Ryu and Nina said in unison. The rocket began to tip over and fall back down to the ground just as fast as it had gone up. All three of them were screaming all the way to the point that the rocket smashed headlong into the ground.

* * *

They were all shaken up from the crash. They could hardly move. Honey was tugging at Momo's tunic, trying to make her get up.

"Uh... uh..." she groaned. "...Ouch..." She slowly got up and looked at Ryu and Nina. Honey ran up to each of them and shook them back to their senses. "...Looks like the landings could use a little work, too... What's this?" She bent down and picked up a book. "It's the instruction manual." She pulled out a note wedged between the pages. "It says:

* * *

_Dear Momo:_

_Please remember to fuel my rocket before you try to use it._

_Love, Dad_

* * *

...gee, thanks a lot, Dad," she closed the book and tossed it away.

"You mean, that was your fault!?" Ryu looked a little angry.

"Well, either way, it worked, right? I mean, it worked... pretty good, right?" Ryu and Nina shook their heads in disappointment. "All right... Come on! If we stand around like this they'll catch us!" They abandoned the wrecked rocket and headed north, into the hills.

* * *


	9. Problems at the Plant

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Problems at the Plant**

Ryu and Nina, along with their new friend Momo, and her robotic assistant Honey, continued their trek into the hills to escape their pursuers. Nina began to slow down and held her stomach.

"I'm getting hungry..." Nina said. "We haven't had anything to eat all day, Ryu..."

"There's gotta be some food around here..." Ryu looked around for an apple tree, or any small animals he could hunt. There were none to be found. Then, when he looked up at the top of the next hill, he found a small coffee shop. "There's a coffee shop right up there!" he pointed to it. "Maybe we can get some food there." He reached into his pockets to find any gold he might have pocketed from the time he raided Mayor McNeil's manor. He pulled out his hands to find nothing. "What? Those two horse-faces must have taken all my money when I was unconscious before..." Then, his stomach started to growl. "Now I'm starting to get hungry..."

"Don't worry, you two!" Momo said, holding out a pouch of gold. "Good thing I decided to bring my special savings with me!" Ryu and Nina's faces lit up as they happily headed for the coffee shop, cheering. "Just leave it all to Mama Momo," she said to herself. Once they got up there, they found themselves a table, and Momo handed Ryu the pouch.

"I'll get our food," Ryu said as he went up to the counter. Momo looked at Nina, who had her eyes on Ryu the whole time.

"So, Nina," she said trying to get her attention.

"Wha?" she turned to face her. "Is there something you need?"

"I'm just curious... How did you and Ryu meet eachother?"

"It's a long story..." Nina began to explain to Momo their current situation. About how Ryu was wrongly imprisoned as a con man with Balio and Sunder, and how he saved her life not once, not twice, but three times within the span of one day. "...and it really surprised me when he turned into a dragon when we---" she immediately slapped her hands over her mouth. The words just slipped out without her thinking.

"What? A dragon?" Momo's ears perked up. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing!"

"Oh, really..." Momo started to look at her suspiciously, then at Ryu. "Ryu acts real tough on the outside, but deep down, he's a really caring person, isn't he?"

"Yes, he's very kind. He always treats me so nicely..."

"I'll bet. So... do you like him?"

"Huh? Of course I do!"

"No, I mean do you LIKE him?"

"Wha? Well, that is... I mean..." Nina started to blush a little. Just then, Ryu came back to the table, carrying a large platter full of different foods.

"I hope everyone's hungry, because I got the lunch special. Here's the change, Momo." He flipped a single gold coin to her.

"Gee, thanks a lot..." she said, pocketing it. Ryu then looked at Nina.

"Is there something wrong, Nina? Your face is turning red."

"Nothing!" Nina said, trying to cover up her embarassment at Momo's question. They then started to eat the food together. Out of the three, Ryu was the most ravenous of them all. He scarfed down every bit of his food without so much as chewing. While they were eating, an elderly man in a white lab coat caught them out of the corner of his eye. He looked at Momo, and approached her.

"Excuse me," he said to her, "but, are you Momo?"

"Yes I am," she replied. "why?"

"Long time no see! It's me, Palet!"

"Excuse me? I don't believe we've met before..." The man looked shocked.

"It...it's me... I'm the director of the plant your father built..."

"It may have been my father who came up with the idea to use chrysm ore to breed stronger crops, but he died before the plant was finished being built..."

"Yes, exactly! Ever since your father Repsol passed away, we've been having nothing but trouble with the machines at the plant." Momo just shrugged.

"I'll bet! Only my father would be able to make and use a machine like that, one that uses chrysm to make crops grow faster!" Ryu and Nina just looked at them, totally left out of the loop of what they were talking about.

"I won't... I can't deny that... That's why I wondered if you, Momo, could help us? You're familiar with all your father's work, aren't you?"

"I'd be glad to help... So, I can have access to the machines, then?"

"Yes, of course! Oh, thank you so much, Momo! I'll see you at the plant, then. It's just to the west of here, on top of the mesa." Palet put his hands in the pockets of his coat, and walked off.

"Excuse me, Momo?" Nina asked. "I'm not sure if I understood all of that..."

"Me neither," said Ryu. "What was that about, anyway?"

"Well," said Momo, "you see... There's this plant that uses chrysm to grow plants, see... and my father helped build it." It all still seemed beyond Ryu and Nina. "And since they're my father's inventions, well, maybe I thought I'd help them out a little bit... but only for a little bit..."

"...Okay then," said Ryu. "But only for a little bit." They got up from the table, and headed back downhill to the main road.

* * *

At the plant, there were scientists everywhere, from observing greenhouses to tending to crops in the tilled soil. Palet saw Momo and her friends and approached them. 

"We've been expecting you!" he said in a jolly manner. "I tell you, it was pure luck to have met you at that coffee shop, Momo!"

"I guess it was," she replied.

"As you know, I worked as your father's assistant when he built the chrysm reactors found all over the plant."

"Whatever... now, which machine needs fixing? Me and my friends have to get to Wyndia..."

"Wyndia? Then you're on your own! The road's been blocked off!"

"What?" they all said in unison.

"A couple of crooks are blocking off the bridge to Central Wyndia, searching everyone that tries to cross. I'm afraid you'll be stuck here for a while."

"This is bad," Nina said to Ryu. "It's probably those two people Balio and Sunder, looking for us..."

"Now then," Palet continued. "The truth is, I've been trying to tell you... that we fixed the machines by ourselves. What I want your help with is... that!" He pointed to a giant onion sprouting out of the ground.

"It's huge!" Ryu said.

"How cute," Momo said. "What is it?"

"C-cute!?" Palet jumped a little. "How can you say that? We can't sell mutated plants like that, so we take them to the disposal area... But several days ago, as we were collecting the crops to be processed and disposed of at the dump, well, um, how should I put it..."

"You found a mutant like that one?"

"Exactly! But not just any mutant... a huge one! Everyone's afraid of it and won't go anywhere near the dump anymore."

"It got mixed in with the chrysm ore?"

"Yes... So, we have no idea what to do with it..."

"...All right! We'll take care of it. I mean, this wouldn't have happened if it hadn't been for my father's reactors, right?"

"Thank you so much, Momo! The disposal area is in the mountain just to the west of here. I'll make arrangements for your visit." Momo nodded, and she, Ryu, and Nina headed out towards the plant.

* * *

When they got there, there were some security guards standing watch by the entrance. 

"We got the word from Palet," the guard said. "Be careful in there, there's no telling what could be inside..."

"We'll keep our eyes open," Momo said. They all took a deep breath, and headed into the dark cave. Inside, there were crates everywhere, containing all the defected plants, all on a large conveyor belt that led into a pool of lava. They looked at a small opening near the pool, and saw some sort of strange growth, like vines, creeping out of it.

"That's something you don't see everyday," Ryu said sarcastically.

"That must be where our mutant is," said Momo. Ryu went near the opening to take a look inside, but it was too sark to see anything.

"I can't see a darn thing in there," Ryu said.

"I can help with that," Nina said. She held up her wand, and the crystal ball on it began to glow dimly. They all headed into the opening, Ryu in front, and looked around. Vines were creeping all over the room, across the walls, and on the ceiling. In the middle of the room was a large plant, slightly bigger than the kids, with a big flower bud on top of it, with a hole in the front of it just large enough for someone to stick their face in it. It started to move around slightly as they got close to it.

"Wow!" said Momo. "Look at that! That...thing...is moving! Who would've believed it? That chrysm energy could mutate a lifeform like this! If my father were alive to see this, what would he say?" Ryu and Nina didn't know what to say. "Too bad you never met him... It's a shame, but... I guess we should just... chop it up," and throw it into the magma..." They looked at the mutant again, and suddenly, a pair of red eyes peered out of the hole in the bud. A pair of arms sprouted out of its sides, and it rose up into the air on a pillar of vines.

"...Who's there?" came a voice from the mutated plant. They all jumped back.

"It can talk?" Ryu said.

"That mutant plant can talk!" Momo became more excited.

"Mutant plant?" the mutant asked. "Am I a mutant?"

"No! Well, actually... some might call you that, but I think you're wonderful! It would be a shame to dispose of a specimen like you." The mutant was quiet for a moment.

"'Dispose'? You mean you're going to kill me? Please... don't... please... stop..." Just then, it dug its hands into the ground, and two stalks of vines came shooting out from behind them. The vines wrapped themselves around Nina and Momo and began to tighten. They both screamed as they felt the life being squeezed out of them.

"Nina! Momo!" Ryu shouted, pulling out his sword. He lunged towards the vines and cut them to pieces, releasing the two girls. The flailing vines quickly grew back and tried to constrict them again.

"It's regenerating!" Nina said. She charged up her wand and released a fireball at the stalks. It was set ablaze as it flailed around again. It fell to the ground, and Nina breathed a sigh of relief. Then, the vines sprang back to life and regenerated again. It grabbed Nina again and began to tighten around her body.

"Nina!" Momo cried out. She turned to the mutant. "Please, we don't want to hurt you! But if we have to, we will!" She pulled out her bazooka and shot at it. One of the vine stalks pulled itself in front of it and took the brunt of her attack. It emerged unscathed as it lashed out at her, knocking her to the ground.

"Why you!" Ryu charged towards the vines constricting Nina. Another stalk appeared and whipped out at him, knocking his sword out of his hands. It then grabbed Ryu, and they were both trapped. Ryu struggled to break free, but the vines wouldn't let up. He looked at Nina, who looked like she couldn't hold out for much longer. 'I didn't want to do this,' he thought to himself, 'but I don't have a choice now!' He closed his eyes, and began to focus on the power hidden within him. His body started to heat up, and the vines immediately let go of him. The enraged mutant was surprised at this display. In a bright flash of light, Ryu began to turn into his dragon form.

"Oh... my..." Momo could hardly speak. "He really is a dragon... I thought Nina was only joking..." Dragon Ryu looked at the mutant with anger in his eyes. He charged towards the vines holding Nina again, pulled back his arm, and took a swing with his claws. In one quick swoop, the vines fell apart, dropping Nina to the ground. He turned back to the mutant, and took a deep breath. A jet of fire shot out of his mouth, straight at the monster. More vines came up to protect it, but they were incinerated. The blast hit the mutant head on. When the flames faded, the charred body of the mutant fell to the ground. All the writhing vines in the room instantly stopped. Ryu then changed back to his original form.

"Ryu..." Nina said, looking at him. Momo ran over to her to help her up.

"Ryu..." said Momo, still dazed at what just happened.

"...I'm sorry, Momo," Ryu said, walking over to his sword to put it back in its sheath. "I didn't want to keep it a secret, I was just afraid you would be scared of me if you knew..."

"Are you kidding!? That is one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life! I'm almost sppechless here! Although dragons aren't part of my specific field of research, I---" Just then, the mutant began to twitch, and slowly got back up.

"Ohhh..." it groaned. "I'm sorry... I couldn't stop myself... from attacking... you... My body just moved... on its own..."

"No worries!" Momo said. "As long as nobody was seriously hurt! Are you okay, Nina?"

"I, I'll be okay..." she said, resting herself on Ryu's shoulder.

"Besides," Momo continued, "a mutant that can talk and move around... what an amazing discovery! If only my father could see this..."

"...Discovery?" the mutant said. "No... You cannot tell them about me... I have something to ask of you..." It reached down and grabbed the vines holding it up. It tightened its grip on them and tore them apart as it crashed to the ground. "Please take me to the magma pool..."

"What? But why?"

"Please... do it... I must be destroyed..."

"...Okay. Ryu, Nina, can you help me move it?" They both nodded, and went over to the mutant. They hefted its body into the air, and slowly moved it out of the room and to the edge of the magma pool.

"Do we really have to do this?" Momo asked the mutant, trying to talk it out of its death wish. It's such a waste..."

"...You came here to 'dispose' of the 'mutant', didn't you?" the mutant asked. Ryu, Nina, and Momo looked down, feeling somewhat ashamed. Momo then looked back up at the mutant.

"Well, yes we did... but we didn't know you were alive..."

"No... I should be destroyed. I was never meant to be..." Momo shook her head, then looked down again. "I should never have been born... Please, push me in..." Ryu looked at Momo, who in turn looked at him. They were silent, and then Momo gave a simple nod. Ryu got behind the mutant, and pushed. The mutant's body slid along the ground, and fell into the lava below. Its body slowly melted as it sank deeper and deeper, until it was completely gone. It then uttered its final words: "Thank you, and farewell..."

"Wait!" Momo cried out to the mutant. "You don't have to do this! There must be some other way!" There was no response. Suddenly, a loud crying sound echoed throughout the cave.

"Pukiiiiii!" Just then, something large came shooting out of the magma. What looked like a large onion with feet and a face came crashing down to the ground.

"Look," said Momo, "it's the cute little..."

"...Onion," Nina said, completing her sentence. It looked at her, and made more sounds.

"Pukeeeeeee!" It looked like he was angry about something.

"Is it attacking?" Ryu said hastily drawing his sword. It jumped away from him and ran behind Momo to hide.

"W...wait, Ryu!" Momo said. "The mutant entrusted this... baby... to us!"

"Wha...?" Ryu just looked at her, his mouth agape. Momo turned around and knelt in front of the creature.

"I think I understand..." Momo said to it. "He left you to us as a reminder to never make another like him!" It just looked at her with a funny look on its face.

"She's talking to an onion..." Ryu whispered to Nina.

"Best not to say anything..." she whispered back.

"Pukyu, kyu..." the baby mutant began to sob.

"He can't talk, can he, Momo?" Nina said.

"Looks that way," said Momo. "But... I'd bet anything that the mutant wanted us to take him along with us, don't you think?"

"Uhh," said Ryu, "I don't think..."

"Then it's settled! Now the only thing is what we should call him...?" Nina walked up to it and bent over.

"..." Nina thought to herself. "...I know! How about we call him... Peco? What do you think, Ryu? Isn't it a cute name?"

"Uhh, yeah... Real... cute... I guess..."

"Pukwiii!" Peco jumped up and down. It seems to like the name Nina gave him.

"Okay, then, we'll call you Peco!" Momo patted him on the head. "Welcome aboard! now, let's get out of here!" They all then headed back out of the disposal area, back to the plant, with Peco happily bouncing after them.

* * *

Just before they got to the plant, Momo stopped and turned to Ryu and Nina. "We can't let anyone in the plant see Peco, or they might panic," she said. "What should we do?" 

"How about we let him hide under your tunic?" Ryu suggested. "I mean, it's so long it practically reaches the ground. If he hid under there, nobody would notice!" Peco began to squeal a little bit.

"It looks like Peco-chan likes that idea!" Nina said giggling.

"Well... if you say so..." Momo then lifted her tunic off of the ground a little, just enough for Peco to crawl under it. Then they all headed into the plant. Palet was standing just outside, waiting for them the whole time.

"Momo!" he cried. "It's good to see you again! So, have you taken care of our little mutant problem?"

"Yeah..." Momo didn't sound too proud about it. "But I wouldn't call it little!" Palet started to look a little nervous.

"How can we ever repay you, Momo?"

"Don't worry about it. See you later, Palet." She turned around and began to walk off, but Palet called out to her.

"W-w-w-wait! Momo!" She immediately turned back around. "Where are you going? The road to Wyndia is still blocked! Why don't you stay here with us for a while?"

"But, we have to get to Wyndia!"

"If you need to go that badly, then no problem! Leave it to me!" He turned around and signalled for a small cart full of hay to come by. "This cart is headed for Wyndia. If you hide in it, you should be able to get past the bridge those ruffians are at unnoticed!"

"What do you think, Momo?" Nina asked her.

"Won't they check the goods on the cart?" Momo asked Palet. She looked at him, and he started to sweat.

"Heh heh heh heh... Don't worry, it'll be fine... Just make sure you hide really well..." They all looked at eachother, then at Palet, then at the cart. Then they all decided to jump in the cart and hide themselves in the pile of hay. The man riding the wagon then pushed the ox pulling it out of the plant. "Heh heh... Whew..." Palet pulled out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his head. "I was lucky that the people that Balio and Sunder are after turned out to be Momo and her friends... Those two will take care of them for me... and no one need ever learn about the mutant!" He snickered to himself and walked off, resuming his duties.

* * *

When the cart arrived at the checkpoint, Sunder started to approach the cart. 

"Here they come!" the cart owner said to Ryu and his friends. "Keep your heads down!" They took a deep breath and dived back into the hay.

"Hoooold it," Sunder said. "What's that?"

"Ummm... This... is... a shipment from the plant to Wyndia..."

"Shipment, huh? Okay, I'll take it from here... now scram!" He gave the owner a scornful look, and he ran off in a hurry, leaving the cart behind. "Don't worry!" Sunder yelled out at him. "I'll take good care of it! Ha ha ha ha ha!" Sunder walked up to the back of the cart, and stared at the pile of hay for a long time. He then reached his hand in, and pulled Nina out by the back of the collar of her dress. "Well, well, look what I found! A couple of stowaways!"

"Ah!" Nina said. "How did he know?"

"The rest of you might as well come out! You can't escape my eagle eye!" Ryu, Momo, and Peco slowly rose out of the cart. Ryu wanted to pull his sword out or turn into a dragon again, but as long as Sunder had Nina in his hands, he couldn't take the risk. "You see, I'm too good for ya!" he gloated and let out another horse laugh. "Now get on the ground, all of ya!" Ryu, Momo, and PEco reluctantly complied. Sunder pushed Nina into the ground, and signalled for his henchmen to come. They took some ropes and tied up all four of them separtely, and then in one big rope all together. The henchmen surrounded them as Sunder pulled them down the road. "Just wait until bro hears about this!" He laughed again as they passed the road to Wyndia and headed southwards.

* * *


	10. The Contest of Champions, Part 1

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 10: The Contest of Champions, Part 1**

Sunder took Ryu, Nina, Momo, and their new vegetable friend, Peco, back to Genmel. In the course of about two days, Ryu and Nina were back where they started... up a creek without a paddle. Sunder and his goons pulled them into a giant stadium. They headed upstairs and into a small office, where Balio was waiting behind a desk.

"Shoot," said Ryu, "and we were so close too..."

"So," Balio started, "...kids, I hope this has shown you how the world works."

"In the end," said Sunder, "it's people like us who get what they want, right bro?"

"The strong get what they want, and the weak can't do anything about it. Just like in the Contest of Champions..." This statement seemed to spark Nina's interest.

"So, if we enter the contest and win..." she said to them, "...we'll be strong, too, and we can get what we want--to be set free!" Sunder was shocked at this.

"What?" he said. "You want to enter the Contest!?" Nina simply nodded. Balio shook his head in disbelief. "We've only been nice to you so far because you're the Princess and everything... but there's a limit as to how far we can be pushed! Just give up and stop struggling... We're gonna take care of your little friends here, but don't worry, Princess, we won't touch you. Besides, you're still worth a lot of money to us..."

"No way!" she snapped at him. "Let us all go! I won't let you hurt any of them! Let us enter the Contest!"

"Uh-oh..." Sunder looked at his elder brother. "They're getting all uppity, bro... You want me to get rid of them now?" Balio had a look on his face, as if he had been thinking since Nina made her suggestion.

"...Wait a minute, Sunder," he finally said. "It may not be a bad idea after all..." Sunder looked surprised.

"But... if they enter the Contest, there ain't nobody who'd think they would win... Huh? Wait a sec..."

"Exactly, my brother... No one will bet on them... which means, if they do win, we'll make that much more money!" He let out a deep pitched horse laugh. "All right, Princess, we'll let you and your little buddies enter. I'll even let you loose until the Contest starts. You can do whatever you want. But don't even think about running away. Our men are blocking off the only two paths out of the desert, and we'll keep one of you here as a hostage, just to make sure you don't pull anything funny on us again..."

"How about the giant onion with the face, bro?" Sunder asked, looking at Peco and picking him up.

"It's a deal!" Ryu said suddenly. Nina and Momo looked at him with surprise.

"Ryu, what are you saying?" Momo asked him. "Do you seriously trust those two?"

"We don't know how strong Peco is, let alone if he can fight at all. Our best bet at winning the Contest is in me, you, and Nina." Sunder grabbed Peco, and took him to a cage sitting in the corner of the room, and tossed him in.

"All right, Ryu," Balio said to him, "We're counting on you to put up a good fight for us out there. After all, you've given us enough trouble... If you lose, it's all over for you. And you won't get away from us again, got it?"

"Don't worry," Ryu said to them disdainfully, "you won't be disappointed..." Then he, Nina, and Momo quietly walked out of the office.

* * *

"What should we do now?" Nina asked.

"I guess we just... wait," Momo said. Just then, there came an announcement that was heard throughout the lobby.

"Attention, attention. Will Team Ryu please report to the Hall of Fire at this time. That is all."

"Hall of Fire?" Ryu said. "I already don't like the sound of that..." Then, a bunny woman, like the ones you would see in cheap liqour bars, approached them.

"Are you Team Ryu?" she asked them. "I'll take you to the Hall of Fire, if you'd like." She winked at Ryu, who then started to look away and blush a little. Nina looked like she was upset at this. "This way, please." She walked down a flight of stairs into the basement, and the three of them followed. When they stopped, they were inside a small locker room. "This is it. You'll be fighting the Patrio team in this round. Do you want to hear the rules for this arena?"

"Sure," said Momo.

"Each team will be fighting one-on-one rounds against eachother in a knockout tournament. You win if you either knockout all of the other team's members, or if you knock out the other team's Dodai. If that happens, the team whose Dodai was knocked out is disqualified!"

"Dodai?" Nina said. "What's a Dodai?"

"Don't worry, you'll see soon enough." A cheer started to come up from above the room. "That's my cue!" She opened the door into the arena, and headed in.

* * *

Inside, there were two stone platforms, being held up by two very large and muscular men, standing in a pool of lava. Above, the crowd was creating an uproar. The bunny girl took a microphone out, and began to make an announcement.

"Ladies & gentlemen! In the first round of the Hall of Fire... Claw of Team Patrio vs. Ryu of Team Ryu!"

"That's you, Ryu," Nina said. "Good luck!"

"Knock them dead!" Momo cheered him on. Ryu nodded, and headed out into the arena. He approached the platform and waited for his opponent to show themselves. A woman appeared, dressed in thieves' clothing, holding two knives in her hands.

"The way she holds those knives reminds me of Rei..." Ryu said. He looked down, and noticed the man holding up his platform. "Who are you?" he asked him.

"I'm a Dodai," the large man replied.

"So, if you get knocked out, we lose?"

"Exactly."

"Isn't it painful standing in that lava?"

"Actually, it's quite refreshing. It takes years of training and conditioning to withstand the lava."

"Oh, I see..." He looked back up at Claw and pulled out his sword.

"I hope you're ready to lose, little boy!" she smiled at him.

"Don't count on it! I'm fighting for bigger stakes than you can imagine!"

"First round!" cried the bunny girl. "Ready... FIGHT!" A bell sounded, and Claw made the first move. She threw the knives in her hands straight at Ryu. He jumped into the air, and tried to land on her platform.

"Too slow!" Claw said as she pulled out more knives and tossed them at Ryu. He swung his sword and knocked them out of the way. Ryu landed on the ground and tried to take a swing at her. Suddenly, she pulled out a small black ball, and threw it straight into his face. It exploded into a smokescreen that covered the entire arena. Ryu covered his mouth, coughing. He looked around to find Claw, but the smoke was too thick to see anything. He heard something sliding across the ground. and turned around. With a loud clang, Ryu's sword blocked Claw's knives as they were caught in a deadlock.

"What?" she said. "How did you know where I was in all this smoke?"

"For someone who uses dirty tricks like that," Ryu said, "you make too much noise!" He began to push his blade away and knocked Claw to the ground. Before she could get up, Ryu held the tip of his blade to her neck. "You lose." The bell rang three times.

"The fight is over!" cried the bunny girl. "The winner... Ryu!" The crowd went into another loud uproar.

"Tch," Claw said. "I can't believe I lost to a kid..." She got up and slowly left the arena.

"Like I said," said Ryu, "I'm fighting for very high stakes..."

"I hope everyone's ready for the next round!" the bunny judge shouted. "In the second round... Cawer of Team Patrio vs. Nina of Team Ryu!" Ryu then hopped back over to his side of the arena and back into the locker room.

"Ryu! You won!" Nina ran over and squeezed him.

"Ack..." Ryu said. "Hugging... too hard... can't... breathe..." Nina let go immediately as he fell to the ground, gasping for air.

"Sorry, I guess I got carried away... I'm up next! Everyone wish me luck!" Momo and Ryu both gave her a thumbs-up as she headed out to the arena.

* * *

Across from her was a short round man in a red robe, wearing a pointy hat and holding an old oak cane.

"I have to fight a little girl?" the man said. "I might have to hold back, or I might hurt you too much..."

"You take that back!" Nina shouted at him, clutching her wand. "I'm definitely tougher than I look!"

"Well, in that case, I guess I'll have to use my most powerful magic!" He had a large grin on his face. 'I haven't mastered my magic just yet,' he thought to himself. 'I entered the Contest for money to train under a real wizard! All I can do is bluff the child and hope she buys it.'

"Second round!" cried the judge. "Ready... FIGHT!" This time Nina made the first move, shooting out a fireball at Cawer. He made a swift arm motion, and a shield of light appeared around him, neutralizing the blast.

"Now it's my turn!" He twisted his wrists some, then swung his cane. A small twister appeared, and flew at Nina. Just as it left Cawer's platform, though, it sank downwards and struck the Dodai underneath her.

"Ow! That smarts!" The Dodai said.

"That's how you want it, is it?" Nina said. She held her wand up, and more energy began to gather into it. She pointed the wand at the other Dodai, and a blizzard came shooting out. The Dodai began to shiver, seeing that he was only dressed in tight briefs.

"It's c-c-c-c-c-cold..." He fell down to his knees.

"No!" Cawer cried. "Get up you good for nothing... Grr... That's it, little lady, now I'll use my ultimate attack!" He pulled his cane back and paused for a moment. 'Wait... I forgot! Was it swing then smack down, or smack down then swing? One of them is a healing spell, and the other is my ultimate spell! Oh, which one? Oh well, here goes...!' He spun his cane around, swung it across his body, and then smacked it down on the ground. A large ball of light began to form at the cane's tip. Nina backed up a little. "Here goes! Cawer's Special One-Hit KO Attack!" The ball of light shot out, and struck Nina's Dodai head on, covering the arena in a bright flash. When the light faded, Nina's Dodai was still standing.

"Ahh, that felt good!" he said. "Do that again!"

"Oh no! I used the wrong spell!"

"Now it's time to finish this!" Nina charged up her wand again, and shot the other Dodai with a lightning bolt. He began to jitter around from the electricity, and then fell face first into the lava.

"Stop the match!" cried the judge. "Team Patrio's Dodai has been knocked out! Thus, they are disqualified! Team Ryu advances to the semifinals!" The crowd above cheered louder than ever.

"NO NO NO!" Cawer yelled jumping up and down. "You stupid Dodai!" He began to club him with his cane. The Dodai slowly got back on his feet and turned around to look at him.

"Who're you calling stupid?" He said with an angry look on his face. He then picked up Cawer, and took him into the locker room opposite of Nina's side. He shut the door, and you could only hear screaming. Nina could only imagine what happened. She turned around, jumped off the platform, and headed back into the locker room.

"Way to go, Nina!" Ryu said. "That was awesome! For a second I was worried when he tried to use his so-called 'ultimate attack'!""You were worried about me?" Nina looked at him and smiled. "Well you can stop! We're one step closer to saving Peco and getting out of this place for good!"

"I looked at the current standings," Momo said, "and I've determined who and where we're fighting next. We will be fighting Team Emitai, in the Null MAgic Hall. I heard that Emitai was a powerful wizard, but since he won't be able to use magic in the Null Magic Hall, it should be an easy victory." Just then, another bunny girl came into the room.

"I'm supposed to take you to the Null Magic Hall. Come this way." Ryu, Nina, and Momo simply followed her. When they got to another locker room, they stopped. "The rules in the Null Magic Hall are simple. You will fight a 3-on-3 match against the other team. As the name implies, you won't be able to use magic in this fight. With that said and done, I'm off!" The bunny girl then left them alone. Just then, a middle-aged man walked in, dressed in old rags, with two small creatures following him. Behind them were a woman and a little girl, also dressed in rags. The girl was coughing a lot.

"I was wondering who I'd have to fight next," the man said.

"You must be Emitai," Ryu said.

"Indeed I am. We don't have much time before the match starts, but I have to talk with you..." Just then, they could hear the muffled voice of the judge from behind the door, making an announcement.

"The match is about to start, Mr. Emitai," Nina said.

"Please hear me... my daughter behind me is really sick. If I don't win this Contest and get the prize money, she won't be able to get the operation she needs..."

"...I'm sorry to hear that, Mr. Emitai... are you trying to ask us to lose on purpose, then?"

"I know it's a hard thing to ask you... But if you don't, my daughter will die! I know I can win in the finals! My magic hasn't been beaten yet! But in the Null Magic Hall, I'm just like anybody else... I can only rely on my two boys here..." The two creatures walked up to Nina.

"Give Emitai win!" they said in unison. "Please! Please!" Nina couldn't bear to see them begging and the little girl behind them suffering. She sat down and began to sob a little.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Emitai," she said, "but one of our friends is being held hostage... We have to win too."

"Oh..." Emitai looked down. "I didn't know... I guess that's that, then..." He turned to his wife and daughter, nodded, and they all left the room.

"I feel so horrible..." Nina sobbed again. Ryu went over to comfort her.

"Don't take it all out on yourself," said Ryu. "I know it's a tough choice... but I would've said the same thing if I was in your position, as I'm sure Momo would..."

"Exactly!" Momo said. "You have to do what you think is right, Nina! So cheer up!" Nina got back up and wiped up her tears.

"Thank you, Momo... Ryu..."

* * *

Back in Emitai's locker room, Emitai looked at his little creatures.

"Life's never easy," he said, "is it? I didn't want to use this until the finals, but I have no choice now... Okay, boys, let's go!" He began to chant, and the two creatures glowed white. Their bodies began to morph, and Emitai smiled at what stood before him.

While Ryu, Nina, and Momo waited in the arena, the judge awaited Team Emitai's arrival. "I wonder what's happened to Team Emitai?" she asked. "Mr. Emitai! Please come to the ring with your team!" Suddenly, the arena began to shake. Emitai teleported into the room.

"Here I am!" he cried out. In a flash of green light, two large green monsters appeared in front of him. "Just like I said, I can't do anything in here, so I'll let my boys do the fighting for me."

"Those don't look like the 'boys' we saw earlier," Momo said.

"No fair!" Ryu shouted to the judge. "He used his magic on them just before the match!"

"I'm sorry," the judge said, "but there's no rules forbidding that!"

"Aw, shoot... now what? Nina isn't a good fighter, so it's up to you and me, Momo!"

"Us... against... them?" she looked at the giant pig-faced gremlins in front of her. She then cocked her bazooka. "All right, I'm ready!"

"Semifinal match!" the judge shouted. "Team Emitai vs. Team Ryu! Ready... FIGHT!" The bell slammed with a resounding ding.

* * *


	11. The Contest of Champions, Part 2

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 11: The Contest of Champions, Part 2**

"Semifinal match!" the judge shouted. "Team Emitai vs. Team Ryu! Ready... FIGHT!" The bell slammed with a resounding ding. The two monsters charged at Ryu and Momo while Emitai and Nina both went into defensive stances. Ryu jumped aside while Momo fired a shot into the monster charging at her. A large cannonball struck it in the stomach, making it stumble back a little. The other monster kept swinging at Ryu with its broad arms, but its size kept it from keeping up with the small boy. It punched at him, but missed, hitting the ground. Ryu ran up the creature's arm, pulled out his sword, and drove it into its eye. It howled in pain as it swung its arms around, knocking Ryu to the ground.

"Ryu!" Momo cried. The other creature swung at Momo, slamming her into the wall. She cringed in pain as she got back up, using her bazooka to support her. She gathered enough strength to pick it back up, and aimed at the monster. She fired another shot, which exploded in the monster's face just before making contact. It rubbed its eyes, trying to get the smoke out of them. The other monster, partially blinded by Ryu's attack, came near its partner and accidentally smack it in the head. When the monster that attacked Momo gained back its senses, it looked at its partner and growled. It then balled up its fist and punched the other back. Soon, the monsters found themselves duking it out with eachother. They both reared back with their fists, and then struck eachother in the head so hard, the loud impact made the crowd fall silent. They stayed in their positions for a while, and crashed to the ground with a loud thud. The crowd went into a frenzy at this. Ryu, Nina, and Momo then looked at Emitai.

"Please, don't hurt me!" he begged and got on the ground. "I give up!"

"The match is over!" shouted the judge. "Team Ryu will advance to the final round!"

"Oh, Lyla... forgive your miserable father..." This made all three of them turn away, not wanting to see this heart-saddening display. Nina felt a tear trickle down her face again as they headed back into their locker room.

* * *

"All of a sudden," Nina said, "I don't feel so good..." Just then, Sunder came barging into the room.

"Hey, brats!" he said. "Pretty impressive! You made it all the way to the final round!"

"Shut up!" Ryu yelled at him. "We don't need your compliments! Especially after what we had to do..."

"All we want for you to do is keep your promise!" Nina added.

"Heh heh heh..." Sunder chuckled. "Oh right, our promise... That all depends on whether or not Ryu here can beat the current champ Garr in the finals... Why you looking so glum, anyway? You all look like you just killed somebody. Cheer up! Gotta keep the fans pleased, you know?"

"Haven't you already said enough!?" Momo finally spoke up. "Just get out of our sight!"

"Heh, fine, have it your way!" Sunder started to walk out, but he turned back around. "One more thing... Emitai and his family are still in the other locker room. I wouldn't try going in there right now, though." He let out a laugh, then finally left.

"Mr. Emitai..." Nina murmured. "There's no way we can apologize, but we have to at least try..." The others nodded solemnly, and headed to the other locker room to try and apologize to Emitai's family.

* * *

When Sunder got back to the main office, Balio had a disturbed look on his face. Peco was sleeping quietly in the cage.

"What's up, bro?" Sunder asked him.

"Maybe it was the fight with Emitai," Balio said, "but they're getting really popular..."

"Maybe, but when I went to check on them, they looked kinda depressed. I guess they know they won't win the final match, eh?"

"That's right... How could they, knowing they have to fight Garr next?" He laughed out loud. "I feel a little sorry for the people betting on them, but we're gonna make a lot of money on this one!"

"Besides, when the Contest is over... we can do whatever we want with them, right, bro?" They both went into a laughing frenzy, admiring their grand plan.

* * *

When Ryu, Nina, and Momo got to the door, they could hear someone yelling on the other side. Ryu opened the door by just a crack and peeked in. Emitai's wife was scolding him, while their daughter quietly watched from the sidelines, not coughing anymore.

"You weren't convincing enough!" she yelled at him. "I told you so!"

"Can I stop coughing now, Mommy?" the little girl asked. Ryu was enraged at what he just heard and saw.

"I don't believe it!" he said. "That weasel was faking the whole time! Did you guys hear---" He turned around, and saw Momo, struggling to hold Nina back.

"Nina, please control yourself!" Momo said, pulling her back.

"Let me go! I'll kill him!" Nina said, wearing out the ground beneath her. "He lied to us the whole time! I can't forgive him!" Ryu ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, trying to make her calm down. After about five minutes, Nina finally collected herself and took a deep breath. "Let's go... I've seen enough of this..." Ryu put his hand on her shoulder, trying to keep her calm as Momo followed. Another bunny girl ran into them.

"There you are," she said. "I was looking for you! The last match is about to start! This way, hurry!" They all hurried down the hall. They ran past a large man. Ryu turned to look, and noticed that it was the gargoyle-man from the bar when he and Nina first snuck out. He returned the glance to Ryu in the split second that they ran past him. They stopped in front of the door, and the bunny girl ushered them in. "Looks like we made it," she said. "Now I'll explain the rules of the Hall of Kings. It is a simple one-on-one match between the team leaders. The last man standing, wins." Just then, the crowd started to cheer outside. "Oh, that's my cue!" She then hurried into the arena.

"This is it, Ryu," Momo said. "It's all up to you. We're counting on you!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in the other locker room, Balio and Sunder were talking to Garr, the large gargoyle-man from before, who looked a little disturbed.

"What's wrong, Garr?" Balio asked.

"What would you do if someone caught on to us, huh?" Sunder said.

"That kid I'm going to be fighting..." Garr spoke for the first time since he saw Ryu. "Where did he come from? How did he get so strong?"

"Well," said Balio, "it's like this... He looks like any other kid... but he's really a dragon."

"Hey," said Sunder, "he's nothing for you to worry about, right? I mean, he's just a kid..." He turned to Balio. "Hey bro... Do you think maybe Garr here's feeling... scared?" Garr gave Sunder a very cold look. This made Sunder jump back, his hairs standing on end. "Whoa! H-hold on, it was just a joke!"

"Now now, Garr," Balio said waving his arms, his voice quivering. "He's just telling you to be careful, is all."

"...A dragon?" Garr asked. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah... But like we said... nothing for you to worry about, right?"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen!" the judge cried. "The moment you've all been waiting for is here! Today's BIG event! The Contest of Champions... FINAL ROUND!" The crowd went into a cheering frenzy. "First, here's our challenger! Believe it or not, our challenger today is a child! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome our 'superboy'... Ryu!!!"

"That's you," Momo said.

"Wish me luck," Ryu said as he walked out into the arena.

"Be careful..." Nina said to herself.

"..." The announcer was silent for a moment. "...And in this corner...!" Suddenly, the entire room went dark, and two spotlights began to wander around the arena. "The one and only... The Wings of Death! The master of the blade! The champion of champions! Mister Dynamite--- Garr!" The spotlights then focused on the door opposite of Ryu. His eyes widened when he saw Garr emerging from the door. As Garr walked towards the center of the stage, jets of steam shot out from the floor for a special effect. The lights in the room slowly faded back to normal.

"Ryu..." Garr said to him. "Let me tell you one thing..."

"Huh?" Ryu looked at him, his eyes still wide.

"Don't hold back. If you don't fight with everything you got... I will kill you." Nina overheard this and gasped.

"No! He can't!" Nina tried to run out to the arena, but Momo blocked the door. "Momo! Why?"

"You can't go!" Momo said. "If you do, Ryu will be disqualified! Do you want that to happen?"

"No, but Ryu--!"

"He'll be fine, Nina... trust me." Nina wanted to argue, but she knew that Ryu would say the same thing. She back off, and sat down on the floor.

"Did you hear that, ladies and gentlemen!?" the judge shouted. "The champion gives no quarter, even against a child! This is going to be a show-stopper of a fight, folks! Without further ado, I present to you, the Contest of Champions... FINAL ROUND! Ready... FIGHT!!!" Garr pulled out a large spear that was a big as him, and Ryu drew out his sword, which paled in comparison.

"You want my all," said Ryu, "then you got it!" He charged at Garr, leapt up into the air, and slashed at his face. In a loud clang, Garr pulled up his spear, fending off the attack, using only one arm to hold Ryu at bay.

"Not good enough," he said. He pushed Ryu away and punched him in the stomach. Ryu began to cough up some blood along with saliva. Nina covered her eyes. She couldn't bear to see Ryu suffer like this. Garr continued to punch Ryu in the head and stomach, not allowing him one chance to counter. "Time to finish this!" he shouted. The muscles in his arm tightened, and with one mighty swing, he gave Ryu an uppercut right into his jaw. Ryu went soaring into the air, and came down with a loud thud.

"RYU!!!" Nina couldn't stand it anymore. She ran past Momo and over to him. "Ryu! Are you alright? Please say something!" There was no response.

"And so," the judge said, "the mighty battle waged by these mighty warriors comes to a finish! And the victor is... our champion! The undeafeated! The champion of champions! Misterrrrr Dyyynamite! Garr!! Congratulations, champion! And now, Mr. Garr, we're going to ask you what you want as your prize! And to present your prize... here's our MC, Misterrr Balioooo!" Balio then entered the arena. As he passed Ryu and Nina, he gave them a quick glance, and smiled. He stopped just feet away from Garr.

"I can ask for anything I want, right?" Garr asked him. "Then, I want... Ryu and his friends." Nina, Momo, and Balio all looked at him with great surprise. Balio ran up to Garr and whispered to him.

"W...what? Are you crazy? That's not what we agreed on!" Garr began to lose his cool complexion, showing bits of anger towards Balio. Balio jumped back.

"Was I mistaken? I thought the winner of the Contest of Champions gets to have whatever he wants... If that's the case, then I guess I could settle for... your life, yes?"

"To the champion Garr," the judge said, "We award... Ryu and his friends!? ...I guess..." Momo then went out to the arena and picked up Ryu.

"Come on, we need to get him healed, fast!" Momo said to Nina. Just then, Garr approached them.

"Here," he said, handing Nina a small bag of herbs. "Feed those to him, and he'll be fine in no time..." He then closed his eyes, and said a very short prayer. He turned around, and walked off, Balio following close after him. Nina took the herbs out of the bag and put them in Ryu's mouth. She moved his head so that he would chew them, and then swallow. Almost instantly, Ryu's eyes opened up.

"Uhhh..." Ryu groaned. "Nina? Momo? What just happened?"

"You lost the match..." Momo said. "...and Garr claimed us as his prize."

"What?" He sprung out of Momo's arms. "Come on, we need to go check on Peco!" They nodded, and headed off to the main office.

* * *

When they arrived, they saw Garr pushing Balio and Sunder to the wall.

"These kids are mine now, right?" Garr asked them. "I'm taking them with me." Ryu ran up to the cage holding Peco and opened it. Peco jumped with joy as he nuzzled up to him.

"Okay, okay, Peco!" Ryu said laughing. "I miss you too! You're welcome!"

"I can do whatever I want with something that's mine, right?" Garr said. He turned to Ryu and his friends. "All right, kids... You can all go now."

"Thank you, Mr. Garr," Nina said as they all headed out the door.

"So that's that." Garr let go of Balio and Sunder and slowly left the office.

"Hey, bro," Sunder said. "What's going on?"

"Beats me!" said Balio. "I don't know what Garr is up to..."

"Do you think Garr has turned on us?"

"If so, things could get a little messy. We can't just let them go... not after all the trouble they put us through..."

* * *

Outside the office, Ryu and company waited for Garr to come out.

"Why did you help us?" Ryu asked him.

"Humph..." said Garr. "Because... there's an ancient race that posesses an indomitable power, called the Brood. I helped you because you, Ryu..." He paused. "You... are of the Brood." Ryu gasped. That's why he can turn into a dragon. That's why he's so strong. He's a part of an ancient race. "I'm not asking anything of you in return," Garr continued, "but if you want to know more about your kind, about the Brood..."

"Yes!" he said. "I do! I want to know more!"

"...Then there is a place to the east, called Angel Tower. Go there... I'll be waiting for you." He then walked past them and headed for the exit.

"Ryu?" Nina asked him. "What will you do?"

"I don't know... At first, I thought I was just a gifted person, but now I find out that I'm a member of another race... and I still haven't determined if Rei and Teepo are still alive. But first things first. We need to get back to Wyndia. Let's go." With that, they all headed out of the colosseum and out the city gates to the north.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

When they arrived at Maekyss Gorge, the area that connects the desert straight to Wyndia, they had to cross a bridge. At the end, though, Balio and Sunder were waiting for them, along with a whole army of thugs.

"Ryu," said Balio. "I've got to hand it to you... You're one hell of a kid." Ryu and his friends tried to turn back, but another large group of thugs approached them from behind.

"I never would've thought you'd give us so much trouble," said Sunder.

"We've called in all our men from the area..."

"You won't get away this time! Get him! Kill him!" The thugs in front began to charge at them. Ryu, Nina, and Momo pulled out their weapons, and charged into the group. Nina fried, froze, and zapped a good deal of thugs with her magic, Momo blew up small groups with her explosive bazooka shots, and Ryu was knocking them down left and right with his sword. When all the thugs were beaten, Balio and Sunder approached.

"These Brood are really something, eh, Sunder?" Balio asked his brother.

"But he can't keep it up forever," Sunder replied. "We still have plenty of men behind him." Ryu turned around, and saw Garr standing right behind them.

"Humph!" Garr said. He tightened his belt and cracked his neck. "...You mean them? They were in my way..." They all looked farther behind him, and saw the whole group of thugs on the ground, moaning and groaning in pain.

"Wh...WHAT!?" Sunder shouted.

"Hey, Garr..." said Balio, "What do you think you're doing? Why would you betray us to help these kids!?" Garr just shook his head.

"...That's my business..." he answered. "Anyway, I thought I told you two to leave them alone. Looks like you betrayed me first, no?"

"Garr... The boss isn't going to let you get away with this." Garr shook his head again.

"So? I don't care about your boss or what he thinks anymore."

"I see... All right then. We'll settle this here and now." Balio turned to Sunder. "It seems that the time has come to show them our true power, my brother."

"What!?" Sunder said. "You don't mean...?" Balio just nodded. Sunder then looked at Ryu and his friends. "You're all dead!" he shouted at them. He and Balio then ran into eachother.

"URRRRAAAAAA!!!!" they screamed in unison. In a bright flash of light, they fused with eachother and turned into a giant version of themselves.

"Stallion Metamorphosis!" came the sound of both of their voices. "No one has seen us in this form and lived to tell about it! Now prepare yourselves! I hope the devil has a nice toasty place waiting for you in hell!" Stallion began his assault by charging into Ryu. Garr got in front of him and thrust his spear forward. Stallion jumped aside at the last second, and kicked Garr away with his hooved foot. "Not even you can defeat us in this form, Garr!" he laughed. He was interrupted by a sudden blast into his back. He turned around to see Nina and Momo. He knelt down and crossed his arms.

"Utmost Attack!" he cried out. A flurry of lasers shot out from his body and blew both of them away. Peco tried to lunge at Stallion, but was easily knocked away by the behemoth. "Give it up!" he said to Ryu. "You have no chance of winning! You are too weak to do anything to stop us!"

"No..." Ryu said, his grip on his sword tightening. "You're wrong! The only way I got this far was because of my friends, because they believed in me! Their friendship is what gave me the strength to move on, even when things looked their worse! For their sake... I REFUSE to lose to you!" He charged headlong towards Stallion.

"Then, die along with your friends, fool!" He charged up for another Utmost Attack, but was interrupted again. He turned to see Garr, sticking his spear right into his leg. Stallion took a couple more blows to the back. He turned again and saw Momo, holding up her smoking bazooka. Another blast from the side came from one of Nina's spells. He became infuriated, and looked in front of him. Ryu was gone, and then he looked up. Ryu was coming down fast, his sword behind him. He came down screaming, and brought his sword straight down Stallion's face as he landed.

"Uuugghh... How?" Stallion started to stumble. "How could we be beaten... by this kid?"

"It's not that hard of a question," Momo said.

"If you were listening to Ryu, you would already know the answer," said Nina.

"You couldn't win from the start," said Garr, "because..."

"...You don't have any friends," Ryu finished. Stallion tried to make one final charge at Ryu, but then, his body split apart in two vertically, and he burst apart into a beam of light. Ryu slowly put his sword back into his sheath. "Rei... Teepo... I did it... I avenged the both of you..."

"Ryu!" Nina ran over to him and hugged him. "You did it!"

"No... We all did it... together. Me, you, Momo, and Garr... It was all of us that did it. I see now... My strength comes from... the trust that you all have in me. Thank you, everyone." They all then turned to Garr.

"Thank you again, Garr," Nina said.

"Think nothing of it," he said. "I was planning on breaking off with them anyway. More importantly..." He looked at Ryu. "Once we've taken the princess back to the castle, you must come with me to Angel Tower, Ryu..."

"Wait a minute! I just remembered! Ryu's looking for some missing friends named Rei and Teepo." Garr put his hand up to his chin.

"Something tells me... you won't find them alive." Ryu gasped, and started to look down. Nina looked at him, then back at Garr.

"Garr!" she said. "How can you say something like that!?"

"You know who you're dealing with..." Garr said. "...They're the kind of people who would kill anyone that got in their way. The only reason Ryu was okay is because of his power, or am I wrong?"

"But... but..."

"That's enough, Nina," Ryu finally said.

"Ryu..."

"First," said Garr, "we should head back to Wyndia. We need to get permission to cross the bridge to the eastern lands, anyway. Lead the way, Ryu." He nodded, and the five of them were well on their way back to Wyndia, at long last.

* * *


	12. Into Foreign Lands

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 12: Into Foreign Lands**

Ryu, Nina, Momo, Peco, and Garr all breathed a sigh of relief when they had finally arrived back in Wyndia. It felt like an eternity since Ryu and Nina first left this place. They quickly headed for the castle gates. The guard stopped them just before they could enter.

"What business do you have at the---" he stopped, and looked at Nina. "Ohhhh!? Princess Nina...!? You're safe!"

"I'm sorry to have worried everyone," Nina apologized to him.

"The king will be so glad to know that you have returned safely, Princess Nina." The guard began to sob a little. "Hey! What happened to those crooks!? The one who used that kid to get us to drop our guard?" He looked at Ryu when he said that.

"Ah, um, yes, well, I'll explain... But first, shouldn't you tell Daddy... I mean, the King that I'm back?"

"Ah! Yes, of course! Immediately! Please, come with me!" He quickly headed into the castle with Nina and the others following close behind.

"I think I'm going to a hard time trying to explain that Ryu's not a criminal..." Ryu just smiled and laughed a little. Nina then smiled and giggled. The king of Wyndia was overjoyed at the news of his daughter's return, that he held a great feast in honor of the ones who returned her, even Ryu. Momo, Peco, and Garr just sat quietly at the table, while Ryu scarfed down anything he could get his hands on.

"Don't you think you should watch your manners?" Garr asked Ryu, nudging him in the side.

"I'm sorry," said Ryu, "but I haven't had anything to eat in a long time!" To Ryu's right, Nina had just finished explaining to her father about all that's happened, excluding the part about Ryu actually being a dragon.

"My, that sounds like quite an adventure," the king said, taking a sip from his glass.

"I didn't know what I would've done if Ryu and everybody," Nina said.

"I see... Forgive me, Master Ryu, for doubting you and thinking you were one of those charlatans."

"Think nothing of it, Your Majesty," Ryu said. "I was just glad to help out."

"Yes, of course... On behalf of the Queen, I offer you thanks again."

"But, Your Majesty," one of the knights said, "I find it hard to believe... Could a mere child have performed such deeds?"

"But Ryu isn't just an ordinary child!" Nina said. "Father, Ryu is a drag..."

"Ahem! erm... cough, cough!" Garr cut her off before she could finish. "By the way, Your Majesty... We were thinking of traveling to the eastern lands..."

"Yes, yes!" the king said. "You need a passport, yes? Since you are in a hurry, I'll see to it that you get it immediately!"

"Wait!" Nina interrupted. "...You mean...you're leaving already?"

"Nina..." Momo said, "Princess... We'll meet again."

"Indeed," said the king. "If your travels bring you here again, we would welcome your presence at Castle Wyndia." With that, everyone else began to eat their dishes, all except for Ryu, who had been stuffing his face the whole time.

* * *

Later that day, Nina was sitting on her bed in her room. 

"...Why did they have to leave so soon, anyway?" she asked herself as she recalled what happened after dinner...

* * *

**::Flashback::**

"But I want to come with you!" Nina said to Ryu.

"I wish we could let you come, but we can't!" Ryu said. "You just got back here!"

"Besides," said Garr, "we are pressed for time. We need to depart for Angel Tower as soon as possible."

"I wouldn't be a burden! Please?"

"It's not that, Nina," Ryu said. "We... want you to stay here."

"But why?"

"Because you'll be much safer here than if you came with us. There's no telling what kind of danger is in the east."

"Besides," said Momo, "I don't think your parents would approve of you leaving..."

"Pukwi!" cried Peco, appearing to agree with them.

"Ohhh..." Nina whined.

**::End Flashback::**

* * *

Nina then laid back on her bed."Oh, well..." she said. "If I went with them, I'd only get in the way, anyway... They don't need a princess coming along causing trouble." Suddenly, there came a scream and the sound of a dish breaking from downstairs. Nina jumped out of her bed in shock. "What's that!?" she wondered. She raced downstairs to the banquet hall, and saw one of the maids shaking over a broken plate. "What happened?" Nina asked the maid. 

"Some...something hit my foot and startled me," the maid responded. "It looked like a giant rat..." Just then, something large just sped away from under the table and upstairs to the queen's chambers. "There it went again!" she cried.

Nina seemed to recognize the thing. "Honey?" she began to chase after it and headed up into her mother's room. When she got up there, there was no sign of Honey, and the queen was lying in her bed, with about three maids looking over her.

"Nina..." the queen said with a weak voice.

"Mother," Nina said, approaching the side of her bed. The queen had fallen ill from grief after she discovered that Balio and Sunder had kidnapped her.

"Nina... I'm so glad you're safe..."

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry to have made you worry."

"...You... are my... treasure... Wyndia's treasure... remember that always, and try no to do anything that would bring us grief..."

"Yes, mother. I'm sorry..." Just then, she saw Honey run back down the stairs. Nina hugged her mother, and quickly headed downstairs. She followed Honey back into her room.

"Honey! It is you! Did Momo leave you behind by accident?" Nina tried to move closer to her, but she ran up another flight of stairs, towards the balcony. "Wait, Honey! Come back!" Nina ran up the stairs and out to the balcony. Honey backed up to the edge of the balcony, and hopped on top of the guardrails. "It's me, Honey! It's Nina!" Then, Honey began to fall backwards. "Look out! You're gonna fall!" Nina ran over to her and grabbed her, but she leaned over the rail too far and fell over the edge.

"Yaaaaaaaaaa!" Nina screamed as they fell. Suddenly, Honey's eyes began to light up, and they were both enveloped in a ball of energy. Their descent slowed to a crawl. "What's happening? We're flying!?" she said, holding on to Honey. They gently floated down to the ground like a feather. Honey then sprang out of Nina's grasp and hit the ground with a thud. "Did you... did you do that, Honey?" she asked. she looked around and saw Honey lying on the ground, not moving. "Honey!" she ran over to her. "What's the matter, Honey!?" No response. "...She's not moving... What should I do? I can't fix her myself. I need Momo's help. Maybe they haven't left just yet." She picked up the little robot and then ran off, the sun setting behind her.

* * *

That night, Ryu, Momo, Peco, and Garr set up camp to get ready to leave. Momo was inside the tent, making obsevation notes on Peco, who was just minding his own business, like he didn't have a care in the world. Ryu and Garr were sitting next to the fire, Garr feeding logs into it. Just then, Momo came out of the tent. 

"Hey," she said, "Has anyone seen Honey?"

"No," said Ryu. "Wasn't she with you?"

"I thought she was... Where's she gotten off to, now?" She walked around the camp and called out. "Honeeeeey, wheeeere arrrre yoooou?" Ryu decided to help out. He began to look around. Then, he saw Nina emerging from the dark of the night.

"Ryu?" she said. "Garr?" Then, Momo turned to see her.

"Nina, what is it?"

"Momo!" She ran up to her and held out the little robot. "It's Honey! She's... she's..."

"Hmmm..." Momo took a close look at Honey. "...It looks like she ran out of chrysm energy. Why don't you bring her inside the tent?" Nina nodded, and they both headed into the tent.

"I knew something would happen that would result in her coming back," Ryu said shrugging. "She probably wouldn't have stayed put even if Honey wasn't there." He began to walk into the tent, but Garr grabbed his shoulder.

"Let Momo handle this," he said. "She knows what's best for Honey... Besides, there's something I have to tell you."

"Huh? What's that?"

"When we get to the eastern lands... you'll learn all about your kind, about the Brood..." Neither of them noticed Nina just standing out by the tent door. "But... there is a possibility that you may die soon afterwards." Nina gasped and ran up to them.

"Die...?" Nina asked. "...You mean Ryu might die...?" She began to worry. "Why would you say such a thing!? He's just going to learn about the dragons, isn't he?"

"You have to understand... When you're dealing with something that has enough power to destroy the world... you have to be ready for anything." Nina shook her head.

"Ryu is not a big bad dragon like that! Ryu used his power to protect me--he's a good dragon! I... I'm going too!"

"What!?" Ryu said. "Out of the question! No way!"

"I don't want you to die by yourself somewhere... somewhere without me!" Nina turned to Garr. "Ryu's not a bad dragon! He isn't!" Garr did not reply.

"Nina..." Ryu said. "...Thank you." He smiled, and went back into the tent. Nina looked at Garr, waiting for some kind of response, but seeing that she wasn't going to get one, she turned around and went back into the tent.

* * *

The next morning, the group was ready to cross the Wyndian checkpoint into the eastern lands. 

"Once we're through here," Garr said, "we'll be in the eastern lands."

"Wait a minute," said Ryu. "Won't the guards recognize Nina?"

"Don't worry, I've got it taken care of." Garr then approached the checkpoint, followed by Momo, Peco, Ryu, and Nina. Garr showed the guard their passports, and he waved them through. When Nina walked past the guard, he stopped them.

"Hm...?" the guard said. "Princess Nina...?" He turned to Garr. "Excuse me, but who is this young lady?" Garr turned around and faced the guard.

"...She's my daughter," he said. "Is there something wrong?" Ryu and Momo's jaws dropped, while Nina still stood next the guard, trying not to look nervous.

"I don't know," Momo whispered to Ryu, "Are they actually going to buy it?"

"We'll find out soon enough," Ryu whispered back.

"D-d-d-daughter!?" the guard said. "You mean... I mean... By daughter, you mean she's your child. right?" Garr gave him a cold glare.

"Is there another meaning I don't know?" Garr asked him.

"Uh, well... now that you mention it... I suppose she does take after her fath... I mean her mother! Yes, very attractive indeed! Um, sorry to have bothered you. Please, go on through." Garr nodded, and the five of them headed across a massive rope bridge. With all the creaking and swinging of the bridge, it was surprising that it could support all of them at once.

"Whew," said Nina, "that was close... Thank you, Garr, for covering for me like that."

"Mmmm..." Garr looked like he was trapped in deep thought. "I've heard that Ryu has saved you several times... So I thought that you might be necessary to get Ryu to use his power." He tightened his belt and popped the joints in his neck, and continued down the bridge with Momo and Peco, leaving Ryu and Nina behind. "After all," Garr said to them as he was walking away, "if he isn't able to use his power, we're only wasting time, you know..."

"You mean you only used your power because of me?" Nina asked Ryu. "Only to protect me?"

"Well..." Ryu didn't know what to say. He began to walk away, trying to catch up with the others. Nina ran out in front of him and cut him off.

"If that's true," she said, "then I want to become stronger! I want to learn how to fight too!"

"Nina..."

"That way, you won't have to use your powers, and you won't get into trouble for using them anymore, right?"

"Nina, it's not that... what I mean is... well..." Ryu sighed. "Oh, never mind." He tried to walk past her, but she continued to impede on his path.

"No, not never mind," she said. "Tell me what you wanted to say!"

"You're as hard-headed as me, aren't you? All right, you win again... You remember when that mutant attacked you? That was probably the moment you were in danger the most. I used my powers then because... I didn't want to see you get hurt. I did it because... I was concerned about you." Nina looked at him for a long time.

"Ryu..." She gazed deeply into his eyes, and then, Momo came up from behind her.

"Hey, you two!" she called out to them. Nina immediately turned around and steeped away from Ryu, both of them blushing. "Hurry up or you'll be left behind!" She turned back around and went back across the bridge. Ryu looked at Nina, and held out his arm.

"We should get going," he said. Nina grabbed his hand, and they both walked across the bridge together.

* * *

Once they got back onto solid ground, Garr turned to the group. 

"The quickest way to get to Angel Tower," said Garr, "would be to take a boat from the port town of Rhapala and go around the volcano of Mt. Zublo." He pointed towards the port town, just barely visible over the horizon.

"Well then, what're we waiting around for?" Ryu asked. "Let's go!" They all then headed for the town. But little did they know, the journey to Angel Tower would be harder than they thought...

* * *


	13. Love is in the Air

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Love is in the Air...**

When Ryu and his friends arrived at the port town of Rhapala, everyone looked like they were worried over something. Sailors talking to eachother, merchants arguing with port officials, and fishermen doing what they do best.

"Excuse me," Momo tried to ask one of the sailors, "but we need to get a boat east."

"Well, you're on your own, there!" the sailor replied. "If this keeps up, there won't be anymore boats in the sea!"

"If what keeps up?" Ryu asked.

"Well, first, the boat broke down at the other port. And on top of that, the light in the lighthouse went out! And there's a big ol' monster scaring off anyone that gets near the lighthouse! If you want to know more, go ask Shadis. She's right over there." He pointed to a woman with a tan, wearing a tank top, short shorts, and a bandanna around her head, looking at a large, muscular man harassing a skinny man with glasses.

"Here's how it works, Beyd," the large man said. "Shadis needs someone big and strong to get things done... like me!"

"That's right!" said a little monkey-faced man standing nearby. "When people talk about real men, they're talking about men like Zig here!"

"But Zig," the man called Beyd said, "Nobody's decided on anything yet..."

"But Guildmaster Sinkar has already given Zig his approval to marry Shadis, see!?"

"That may be true... but as the person in charge of the Guild finances..." Just then, Zig pushed Beyd to the ground.

"Don't you worry, Beyd!" Zig said. "Between Shadis and me, the Mariners Guild is in good hands!" He let out a deep laugh and turned to Shadis. "Ain't that right, Shadis?"

"Hmph!" she simply replied.

"Ha ha ha ha ha, don't be shy, Shadis! We'll make a great team, you and me!" He turned back to Beyd. "So that's that! See ya, Beyd!" Zig chuckled as he walked off, followed by his little cohort.

"That wasn't very nice!" Nina said to the others. They went over to Beyd and helped him up. "Are you alright?"

"Sorry about that," said Beyd. "I'm Beyd, the Guild bookkeeper. How can I help you?"

"We were wondering about the ship..." said Ryu.

"If you want to know about the ship, you should ask Miss Shadis there."

"People keep asking me about the ship," she said. "But the ship's not coming back! Understand? Oh, it gives me such a headache!"

"Shadis... Just because you're not feeling good doesn't mean you can act like that in front of customers!" Shadis stomped her foot and cut him off right there.

"Not feeling good? And whose fault do you think that is!? You... you... doofus! You probably don't care at all if I get married to someone like Zig, do you?" Shadis angrily walked off.

"I'm so sorry about that," Beyd said to Ryu and his friends. "She seems a little upset right now... Anyway, as she said, the ship's not back yet, so we can't sell you a ride right now."

"I see..." Garr said. "Thank you, anyway." They all sighed, and headed for the town exit. Before they got there, Shadis stopped them.

"I'm sorry about what happened back there," she said. "I was just a little frustrated. So many things happening at once... I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything about the ship now... If you're in a hurry, you could go ask my father, the Guildmaster, if he'll let you use the road by the volcano."

"We'll do that," said Momo. "Thank you." They all turned back around, and headed for the Guild Headquarters. Once there, they met up with the Guildmaster.

"Hmm?" he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Your daughter said we should ask you for permission to use the road," said Garr.

"There's a bit of a small problem with that... well, actually, it's a big problem... Since the volcano recently erupted, the lava has blocked off the road! I'm afraid you're stuck here..."

"Then we came all the way here for nothing..." said Ryu.

"Let's go out and set up camp," said Garr, "it's getting late."

* * *

That night, the group pondered about their current predicament. 

"Hmmm..." Momo said. "Maybe if we fix the lighthouse, the ship could come back..."

"Don't count on it," said Ryu. "The Guild probably wouldn't let anyone near the lighthouse, no matter how strong they are."

"Hey..." Nina said. "Do you think Shadis likes Beyd?"

"Where did that come from? Aren't you forgetting that we're stuck here?"

"Well... maybe she does," said Momo. "But what does that have to do with anything?"

"And Beyd's in love with Shadis, right?" Nina asked. "But he's too shy to tell her... I know! I'll go talk to Beyd and tell him what he should tell her! I mean, if he doesn't do anything, it wouldn't be very fair to Shadis, would it?" The others were just silent. Garr tossed more firewood into the fire, Momo pulled out a book, and Ryu just watched Honey chase Peco around the camp.

* * *

The next morning, they all headed back into town to try and convince Shadis to let them help fix the lighthouse. They saw Zig trying to impress Shadis again, and Beyd just quietly watching. Nina took a deep breath and walked up to him. 

"Say, Beyd..." Nina said to him, "You're in love with Shadis, aren't you?" Beyd and Ryu sort of gagged at this.

"That's cutting to the chase," Ryu said to himself.

"Wh-wh-wh-what, what?" Beyd stuttered. "What are you talking about!?"

"Don't be so embarassed," said Nina. "I'm sure Shadis likes you too!" Zig stopped with his display and looked at Beyd.

"Wait..." said Beyd, "wait a minute... Why don't we talk about this somewhere else?" He took Nina by the hand, and walked off to another part of the docks so that Shadis nor Zig could hear them. "What are you talking about!?" Beyd asked Nina. "Of course I like Shadis! We've been friends since we were kids, but... p-p-p-p-p-propose to her!? I c-c-c-can't do that! I'm nobody! I mean, she needs someone strong, and, and reliable to help her run the Guild!"

"So then all you need to do is get strong!" Nina said.

"I don't know... I think that's easier said than done... Look at me... I'm just a wimp..."

"No problem! We'll help train you!"

"What!?" Ryu and Beyd sounded off in unison.

"You mean, me, train him?" Ryu asked.

"T-train!?" Beyd asked.

"That's right," said Nina. "It looks like we won't be going anywhere until the boat comes, so we'll help you get stronger!"

"No... I don't think it'll work..."

"You won't know unless you try!" Beyd looked at her, and started to walk away.

"I'm going... back to work." He then headed back to where he was before.

"Did I say something wrong, maybe?" Nina asked the others.

"No..." Momo said. "It may take him some time to face the truth." Just then, they heard Zig chuckling all the way from the other side of the docks. They ran over to see him laughing over Beyd, who was on the ground.

"Bwah hah hah hah hah!" he continued to chuckle, then turned to Shadis. "Hey, Shadis! You can already get your wedding dress fitted now! I'll have that lighthouse fixed up faster than you can say, 'I do!'"

"All right, all right," she said sarcastically, "Just leave me alone!" Nina ran up to Beyd and helped him up.

"Beyd..." she said, "what's the matter?"

"Zig's going to go to the lighthouse to fix it. If Zig manages to beat the monster that guarding it, there will be no denying that he's the best man around and the perfect choice for Guildmaster."

"And that means... Zig will marry Shadis, right?" Beyd looked at the pathetic display Zig was putting on for her, then turned to Nina.

"Please... I want you to train me." Ryu and the others were surprised. "I can't just give up... Not without trying! Please train me... Make me strong so I can go fix the lighthouse before Zig! I need to get some equipment." He handed them a large bag of gold. "Go to the weapon store, and get me a sword and some armor. You can keep whatever money's left over. Meet me back here when you're ready."

"We'll be back before you know it!" Nina said as they headed to the store. Moments later, they returned to Beyd with the equipment.

"Excellent! I have to finish work now, so I'll meet you in the town square tonight. I'll be waiting."

"Well, what should we do until then?" Ryu asked.

"Momo, Garr, and Peco can go do whatever they want for now," said Nina. "You and I are going to wait at the square."

"What!? Why me?"

"Because, you have a sword, and he has a sword. You would be the perfect teacher!"

"I'm not sure about that..." Ryu was thinking about a certain purple-haired apprentice when he said that. "...but okay, I'll do it!" They all split up, and Ryu and Nina headed to the square.

* * *

That night, Beyd finally arrived at the square, with his armor on and dragging his sword behind him. 

"I didn't think a sword could be so heavy..." he said, trying to pick it up.

"Okay, everything looks alright," Nina said. "I'm going to be your coach for tonight, Beyd, and Ryu is going to be your opponent!" She walked up to Ryu and whispered in his ear. "Try to go easy on him, okay?"

"Oh, all right..." Ryu whispered back.

"Let's get started then! Beyd, go and attack Ryu!"

"Okay," said Beyd, "here goes nothing!" He lifted the sword up, and tried to swing at Ryu. Ryu easily deflected with his sword.

"Come on, what was that!?" Ryu said. "Put some more power into your swings! You couldn't kill a rabbit like that!" He pushed Beyd to the ground.

"Ryu! I said not so rough!" Nina yelled at him.

"Oh, yeah. Sorry..."

"Get up, Beyd! Shadis is counting on you!"

"That's right," said Beyd. "She's counting on me! I'm not going to just give up! I'll show that Zig who the better man is!" He got a sudden burst of strength, and charged out at Ryu, swinging his sword like his life depended on it. Ryu was actually struggling to block Beyd's attacks. He jumped back, and decided to go on the offensive.

"Okay!" Ryu shouted. "Now it's my turn!" He charged at Beyd, who then raised his sword up. Ryu came up to him and slashed with his sword. A loud clang echoed through the town and across the sea. Beyd's sword met Ryu's just inches away from Beyd's face.

"What the!?" Ryu was surprised to see his attack be blocked.

"I... I did it..." Beyd said, breathing heavily.

"That's the way to go!" Nina cheered. "Keep this up, and you'll be stronger in no time!" The night went on, as Beyd continued to spar with Ryu. The sun had started to peek up from under the horizon, and they were both panting hard.

"Wow, that's some power you have there, Beyd," Ryu said. "You actually had me on the ropes for a second, there..."

"I just can't believe how good I did," Beyd replied. "I think we should all get some rest. Good night." He took off his equipment, and headed home. Nina then went to check on Ryu.

"Are you all right, Ryu?" she asked him.

"Yeah," Ryu said panting. "I think that little session with him is actually helping me, too. Come on, we should get some sleep." He pulled himself up with his sword, and stuck it back in his sheath. Nina supported him on her shoulder as they headed off.

* * *

That morning, Ryu and the others met up with Beyd again, who just stood there watching Zig hitting on Shadis. 

"I can't stand to watch this anymore," said Beyd. "I just want to show Zig who's boss."

"Well, then," said Nina, "today's your chance! I think you're ready to go to the lighthouse!"

"What!? The lighthouse!? I don't think I'm ready for that..." Zig overheard him and turned around.

"What was that!?" Zig asked Beyd. "What do you mean you're going to the lighthouse, Beyd?"

"It's Zig who's going to the lighthouse, see?" said his crony. "So just butt out, Beyd!"

"That's right! I'm the strongest, so I'm going to the lighthouse! You got a problem with that, then you'll have to fight me!" The other sailors overheard him and started to gather around.

"If you want to go, then you'll have to beat Zig, see?" Nina handed Beyd his equipment, and he quickly put it on.

"Fine then," said Beyd. "I challenge you, right here and now! The winner gets to go to the lighthouse!"

"All right then," said Zig, "then let's fight!" Zig charged at Beyd like a mindless gorilla. Beyd stepped aside, and swung at his lower body with his sword. Zig's belt came off, and his pants slipped down. The other sailors pointed and laughed as Zig pulled his pants up. "Now you've done it! Grahhhh!" He charged at Beyd again, and began to pummel him in the stomach. Beyd was coughing up saliva as he was repeatedly battered.

"Come on, Beyd!" Nina cheered, "fight back!"

"Go get him, Zig!" cried Zig's fan, "You're the man!" The sailors began to cheer as Zig's assault continued. Shadis couldn't stand it anymore.

"BEYD!" she cried out. Beyd regained his senses, pointed his sword downwards, twisted it, and brought it up. With a loud thwack, the crowd went silent. They all looked and gasped. Beyd had struck Zig with the broad side of his sword, right in his groin. Zig stumbled back, grabbed his crotch, and dropped to the ground. Beyd dropped his sword, and fell on his back. The crowd cheered, and then broke up as they all went back to their previous duties.

"I... I won..." Beyd said. Shadis went over to him.

"Oh no! Boss!" said the little monkey-man. "I don't believe it! How could big old Zig here lose to Beyd!?"

"Beyd..." Shadis said. "Are you all right? Look at you, you're all beat up." Beyd looked up at Nina and her friends.

"If it hadn't been... for your help," he said, "I would've never beaten Zig. If you hadn't convinced me to fight Zig, Nina, then... I guess I would've stayed as the same old Beyd... a 98-pound weakling..." He turned to Shadis. "Shadis... I want to help you. Let's take care of the Guild... together."

"Boss! Boss!" cried Zig's minion. "Did you hear that!? Boss! ...Boss! Wake up, Boss!" Zig was still cringing in pain and couldn't say or do anything.

"Thank you," Beyd said to Ryu and Nina, "thank you so very much. I don't know what'll happen next, but... Shadis and I will find some way to work it all out... together!"

"Oh, Beyd!" Shadis cried as she hugged him. "Come on, let's get you fixed up." She helped him to his feet, and carried him off.

"Kinda gives me that warm fuzzy feeling inside..." Ryu said.

"Mmm-hmm!" Nina nodded. "I'm just glad we were able to get those two together!"

"But there's still one problem..." said Garr. "We still don't have any way to get to Angel Tower!"

"Oh, man, I knew we forgot something!" Ryu said. "I say we wait until tomorrow before we ask Shadis for permission to go to the lighthouse." They all agreed, and headed out of town to set up camp again.

* * *


	14. Of Lighthouses, Fairies, and ManEating M...

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Of Lighthouses, Fairies... and Man-Eating Monsters!**

The next morning, Ryu and his friends went to check on Beyd and Shadis. They found them at the usual place in the docks, Shadis putting Beyd's arm in a sling. Beyd seemed to be enjoying himself, nevertheless, despite his broken arm and glasses.

"Hey, it's you!" Beyd said waving at Ryu and the others with his other arm.

"Hey, Beyd, how's it going?" Ryu said.

"That fight with Zig left me more injured than I thought, so I'm in no condition to go to the lighthouse." Shadis then approached them.

"Thank you..." she said. "I have a feeling that Beyd and I will get along great together. Is there anyway we can repay you?"

"Well," said Momo, "seeing that the ship can't get here if the lighthouse is broken, we were wondering if you'd let us go instead."

"I wish I could, but because of the danger of the monster there, only Guild members are allowed to go near the lighthouse now..."

"I can help with that!" Beyd said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. "With this card, you'll all be official members of the Guild!" He handed it to Ryu.

"Are you sure that's okay, Beyd?"

"You said you wanted to repay them, so I say that giving them what they want is suffice."

"Thank you so much, Beyd!" Nina said.

"It's nothing. If you're planning on going to the lighthouse, then just be careful. I'm not sure if the ship will come back once the lighthouse is fixed, but it can't hurt to try, right? The lighthouse is across a plank bridge on the other side of the docks, okay?"

"Yeah, thanks a lot, Beyd!" Ryu said. "And good luck with Shadis!" They waved goodbye to him and headed off to the lighthouse.

* * *

The lighthouse was completely abandoned. There were knocked over crates everywhere, showing that someone had been here recently. 

"Keep your eyes open, everyone," said Garr. "The monster could attack at any time." They opened the door to the lighthouse and headed in. It looked much larger on the inside. There were machines everywhere, from ones that powered the lighthouse, to monitoring incoming ships.

"Wow," Momo said. "I didn't think they used so many machines for such a simple-looking task. Look at this stuff!" She ran over and began observing the machines. "Hmm... It looks like all the equipment is still intact." Just then, they heard Nina shriek. They turned around, and saw her pointing at a large lizard-like creature.

"Is that the monster?" Ryu asked. They looked at it, and saw that it wasn't moving an inch. Peco walked up to it, and cocked his head.

"Pukyu?" Peco kicked it, and then ran behind Momo. The creature still didn't move.

"I guess it's not a monster after all," Garr said. "Come on, the stairs to the roof are just behind it." Before they could take one step, they heard a loud clang come from upstairs. They looked up, and saw a giant ball with eyes all over its body bouncing down the stairs. It bounced high into the air and came down on top of the smaller creature. It suddenly sprang to life and grabbed the giant globe, holding it over its head. "Did I just say... that it didn't look like a monster?" Garr said.

"You did," Ryu said. Just then, the smaller creature threw the giant eyeball at them. They all jumped out of the way as it bounced around the room like a pinball, and landed back in the lizard's arms. Ryu and the others readied their weapons. Garr ran up to the giant ball and thrust his spear into it, but it just bounced off the surface of its flesh, like it was made of metal. The lizard lashed its tail out and knocked the spear out of his hand, and swept him off his feet. Momo began to fire shots at the creature, but her attacks were deflected as well. Nina used an ice spell on the monster, trapping it in a case of ice.

"Looks like that did it!" Nina said. Suddenly, a red light began come from the monster's eye, and a red beam shot out, breaking the ice. The beam shot out past Momo and Nina, knocking them to the ground from its intensity. Ryu put up his sword, and began to concentrate. He became enveloped in light, and turned into his dragon form. He shot out a jet of flame at the creature, who countered with another eye beam, which neutralized eachother. Dragon Ryu charged at the monster, and suddenly, its large eye opened up into a mouth as the lizard tossed the ball at Ryu. The mouth slammed shut, and turned back into an eye.

"Ryu!!" everyone shouted as the ball bounced back to the lizard's hands. Another red light formed at its eye, and everyone braced for another eye beam attack. Suddenly, a large blast of flames came shooting out from the inside of the eyeball. The others looked on as the eyeball wriggled around in pain. Another fire blast came out of the creature, and Dragon Ryu came soaring out of its body, except now he looked like a more mature version of itself.

"Is that Ryu?" Nina asked, looking at the adult dragon.

'Hmm,' Garr thought to himself. 'So he's learned how to change into an adult dragon... we must get to Angel Tower soon, then...' The lizard holding up the eyeball was stumbling around, trying to keep up with the eyeball's writhing. Dragon Ryu then fired one more blast, right at the lizard. It was completely devoured by the flames as it dropped the eyeball, and was crushed by it. The eyeball then slowly dissipated into a cloud of black smoke. Ryu then returned to his original form.

"You did it, Ryu!" Nina jumped up and down. "I didn't know you could turn into an adult dragon!"

"Neither did I," said Ryu. "I guess that more of the power inside of me is starting to awaken..."

"As much as we'd like to stand here talking about Ryu's power," said Momo, "we should get to the roof and turn the lighthouse back on." They nodded, and headed up the flight of stairs to the roof. Once on the roof, there was a large lightbulb encased in chrysm, hooked up to a simple switch. Ryu approached the switch and pulled it. The lightbulb flared on, as it lit up the entire area, generating a constant hum. Suddenly, a small voice cried out.

"Nooooo!!!" Suddenly, a fairy came flying past them. "Turn the lighthouse off!" it shouted. It came flying back and knocked Ryu away from the switch. "I said, turn it off!" The fairy pulled out a club and struck the switch with it. The switch got jammed into the machine, and sparks started to fly off. The lightbulb stayed on, and now it was going to stay on forever. "Oh, nooooo!" it cried. "Now what are we supposed to do!?" It looked at Ryu and the others angrily. "This is all your fault!"

"Our fault? What are you talking about!?" Ryu asked.

"After we went through all the trouble of making Gazer turn off the lighthouse and guarding it, you all come along and kill him and turn it back on! Now, it'll never turn off! Dummies! It's all your fault! You'd better make up for it!"

"What?" Nina asked. "Make up for what? And how?" The fairy tossed her a small tiara.

"Use that tiara on a ring of flowers outside the town," the fairy said. "It will take you to our world. There, you can make it up to us!" It then fluttered off just as fast as it had came.

"Okay, that was weird," Ryu said. "Come on, let's go back to town and forget we saw that."

"But Ryu," said Nina, "we've obviously done something bad to make that fairy mad at us. I say we should do what she said and go visit their world." After debating amongst themselves, they finally agreed and headed back down the lighthouse.

* * *

Back in Rhapala, Beyd and Shadis were waiting for them to return. 

"I don't believe it!" Beyd said. "You got the lighthouse fixed! Thank you so much!"

"But..." said Shadis, "the boat still hasn't come back... Something must have happened to it at the other port. We apologize for this misfortune."

"Wait, Shadis. Maybe there's still a way for our friends here to get to the east, but we need to talk to your father about it."

"You mean...? Okay, then. We'll talk to my father about getting you a way to the east. Why don't you all find something to do in the meantime?"

"Don't worry," Nina said. "I think we've found something that will keep us occupied for a while." She looked at the fairy's tiara and headed out of town with everyone following behind.

Once they got out of town, they saw a ring of flowers, just as the fairy said. The tiara began to vibrate, and the area inside the ring of flowers turned a bright white. They approached it cautiously, and then in a bright flash, they all vanished.

* * *

When they reappeared, they found themselves on a hill. They looked around, and saw a beach below them, and a small shack beside them. 

"Where are we?" Momo asked.

"I think we're in the fairies' home," said Ryu. "Maybe they're waiting for us in that hut." They opened the door, and inside were three fairies. One of them was the one from the lighthouse.

"It's about time you showed up, dummies!" she said. "Now it's time for you to help us since you turned the lighthouse back on!"

"Okay, first things first," said Ryu. "Why do you want the lighthouse off in the first place?"

"Well, it's like this. We're on the other side of the lighthouse right now. That's why we told you not to turn the lighthouse on!"

"What will we do now, sister?" the second fairy asked the third.

"'What will we do now?'" the third fairy repeated. "You know what's going to happen now! That monster's going to come and eat us all!"

"Monster?"

"Yes! It told us that if we didn't turn the lighthouse off and keep it off, it would come and eat us! Please do something about it!"

"I feel so bad for you," Nina said. "You want us to go defeat it?"

"Yes! That's why we brought you here! You really are dummies!"

"That's so rude! Calling us names when we're here to help you!"

"Okay, I'm sorry. I won't call you dummies anymore. The monster comes out of the sea at night, so you all go to the beach and wait there until it comes, okay?" They nodded, and headed out the door. Just before Garr and Peco got out the door, the fairies stopped him. "Not you! You stay!"

"What?" Garr said. "Why me?"

"We need someone to stay up here and protect us if they don't kill the monster!"

"But... ugh..." Garr leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. Peco looked at them strangely and decided to stay behind, too, just to keep Garr company.

* * *

That night, Ryu, Nina, and Momo were still waiting down at the beach, with no sign of any monster. Honey was running along the beach, chasing a hermit crab. 

"This is stupid," Ryu said. "We've got more important things to be doing. I bet there isn't even any monster. They're probably just pulling a prank on us..."

"Don't be so negative, Ryu," Nina said. "It's the least we can do for them."

"I think I see something!" Momo cried out. The all looked out at the sea, and saw a red fin popping out of the water, slowly making its way to the beach. "Here it comes... Let's all attack when it sticks its head out of the water, okay?" Ryu and Nina nodded as they had their hands on their weapons. The red fin slowly glided across the water, closer and closer to the land. Then, in one brutal attack, Ryu, Momo, and Nina struck it with everything they had. Then, there came the sound a sharp cry. They looked down, and saw their monster. It was a dolphin.

"This..." Nina said, "...is the monster?"

"It's a dolphin..." said Momo. Ryu got close to it to see if it was dead, but it opened its eyes and looked at them.

"Ouch..." the dolphin spoke. "What was that for?"

"Sorry... We were told that a monster was coming, and, well..."

"Everyone makes a mistake, now and then... no worries... Why don't you tell me about this 'monster'?"

"He's a nice dolphin, isn't he?" Nina said.

"Yeah, I guess," Ryu said.

"I wonder if he's what the fairies are so afraid of?"

"Let's go ask them, Nina," said Momo. "Ryu, you stay here and keep our guest company." Momo and Nina then climbed back up the hill towards the hut. When they were out of sight, the dolphin then shot a squirt of water into Ryu's face.

"Oi!" it shouted at him. "What's got your goat, laying into me like that?"

"What?" Ryu said trying to shake off the water. The dolphin kept squirting water at him.

"No worries, mate, but it's your lookout... I was just minding the sheilas, but if you want to take it outside... What's with the lighthouse, anyway? Bloody nuisance, can't get a wink with it shining away all night like that. Get rid of it, apples it ain't, or we might be having ourselves a bit of a barney happening!"

* * *

**Note: For those readers who don't understand Australian, we have provided a translation into English.**

* * *

**::Translation::**

"Let's go ask them, Nina," said Momo. "Ryu, you stay here and keep our guest company." Momo and Nina then climbed back up the hill towards the hut. When they were out of sight, the dolphin then shot a squirt of water into Ryu's face.

"Hey!" it shouted at him "What do you think you're doing, hitting me like that?"

"What?" Ryu said trying to shake off the water. The dolphin kept squirting water at him.

"All right... I was just being nice because the chicks were here. If it's just you, I won't hold back, see? What's up with the lighthouse, anyway? When it's on, the light gets in my eyes and I can't sleep. Turn it off already, will you? If you don't, I just might have to get rough with you, see?"

**::End translation::**

* * *

The dolphin stopped shooting Ryu when he saw Nina and Momo coming back down to the beach, the fairies behind them. 

"That's him!" one of the fairies pointed at him.

"That's... the monster?" Momo asked.

"He told us that if we didn't turn off the lighthouse, he would eat us! Can you believe it!?"

"Hey," the dolphin spoke up, "the light's too bright, you know? I can't sleep, yeah? So, do you think you could go turn it back off?" One of the fairies approached him.

"If you want the light turned off," she said, "do it yourself, you dummy!" The dolphin got a little upset. Another fairy came up to him.

"That's right, you dummy!" she said. "Why do you have to bully us about it, anyway!" The dolphin became angry. The third fairy then floated up to him.

"Leave us alone," she said, "you big dumb dolphin!" That was the final straw. The dolphin jumped straight out of the water, and spikes began to grow all over its body, and its fins turned into claws.

"SHUT UP!" it boomed. The fairies shrieked and ran back into the hut. "I should just fry you in oil and serve you up as a midnight snack! That's it! You're dead! You're all dead!!"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Ryu shouted, drawing his sword. "It's payback time!" He lunged at the dolphin.

"Those little trickles were nothing! Here comes the real thing!" The dolphin bent over, and a stream of water shot out of its blowhole. The stream slammed Ryu back into the ground. The dolphin continued to pummel him with water. "Now you really are washed up!" he gloated.

"Take this you deceiving little porpoise!" Momo yelled as she fired a cannonball out of her bazooka. It flew straight into its blowhole and jammed itself in. Water then began to pour out of its mouth instead.

"Now it's my turn!" Nina cried. Sparks began to fly off of her wand as she fired a bolt of lightning right into the dolphin's mouth. The water in his mouth boosted the effect of the lightning, electrocuting his insides.

"GYAAAAHHHH!" the dolphin wailed, his body shaking from the electricity. Its smoldering body fell to the ground, and it was swept away by the ocean's current. When Ryu got back up, he saw that the battle was over.

"What? It's over already?" he asked. "I thought I was supposed to be the hero..." Nina and Momo went over to help him up.

"You're soaking wet, Ryu," said Momo.

"Tell me something I don't know. I really wanted to pay that dolphin back in spades!"

"I think we've taken care of that for you," said Nina. "Come on, let's go tell the fairies!" They all headed back to the hut. Inside, the fairies were all shaking behind Garr.

"Did you kill it?" one of the fairies asked them.

"Please tell me you did..." Garr said. "They've been driving me crazy the whole time with their whining."

"That dolphin isn't going to bothering anyone anymore," Nina said.

"Hooray!" The fairies began to cheer and dance around the room. "Thank you soooooo much! I guess you really aren't dummies, after all! You can all go home now! Just go outside and step through the flower ring. Promise you'll come back and see us!"

"Come on, Garr," Ryu said, "time for both of us to get some well-deserved rest... Man, I am so wet."

"And my head hurts," said Garr. "The sooner we leave, the better." They all said goodbye to the fairies, and stepped through the ring of flowers. In a flash, they were back at the outskirts of Rhapala.

"What a day," Nina said. "I think it was fun, didn't you, Momo?"

"It was pretty fun," she said. "What do you say, Ryu? Garr?"

"Please, I don't want to think about dolphins..." said Ryu.

"...Or fairies..." said Garr.

"...ever again," they said in unison.

* * *


	15. The Flames of Mt Zublo

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 15: The Flames of Mt. Zublo**

The next morning, Ryu, Nina, Momo, Peco, and Garr headed back into town, hoping that the ship would return, as unlikely as that would be. When they got to the docks, there was no sign of the ship, Beyd, or Shadis.

"I was expecting this much," Ryu said. "Still no boat..."

"And still no way east," said Nina. Just then, Beyd and Shadis came up from behind.

"Hey, everyone!" Beyd said. "Why are you all looking so down for?"

"The boat is still gone..." Momo said.

"And the road around the volcano is blocked," said Garr. "There's absolutely no way east..."

"Well, cheer up, guys! Shadis and I got a way to get east!"

"You did?" Nina asked. "What is it!? Please, tell us!"

"We spent all day yesterday talking to my father," Shadis said, "and we convinced him to let you use the road!"

"I thought you said that the road around the volcano was blocked by lava," Ryu said.

"We did, but there's another path... through the volcano!"

"What!?" they all said at the same time.

"That's right!" said Beyd. "Before the road was built, the Guild used an old tunnel that went through Mt. Zublo to get back and forth. If you go to the volcano, the guards there should let you through."

"You hear that, everyone?" Ryu said. "We found a way to the east!"

"That's wonderful!" Momo said.

"Pukwiiii!" Peco jumped with joy.

"I'm happy for you, Ryu," said Nina. She wasn't as excited as Momo and Peco because of what Garr said before: "When we get to Angel Tower... there is a possibility you might die."

"Then we should depart immediately," Garr finally said. They said goodbye to Beyd and Shadis one last time before leaving the town and heading to Mt. Zublo.

* * *

At the foot of Mt. Zublo, there was a small shrine. A group of guards were standing watch.

"You must be the ones that the Guildmaster's daughter were talking about," one of the guards said. "Come with me." He guided them up the paved path on the mountain. They got to the part of the road where the smoldering lava was still blocking the path, but there was another path that broke off from the main road and led further up. "Head down that path," the guard said, "and you'll be on the other side. Just stay clear of lava, okay?" They nodded and headed up the alternate path. At the end, there was an opening that led into the volcano.

"Whew, I can feel the heat from here," Momo said, taking her cap off and fanning herself.

"Are you sure it's safe?" Nina asked.

"We don't have a choice," said Garr. "We have to go through."

* * *

As they entered the cave, they felt the sudden change in temperature as a wave of heat overcame them. Nina and Momo started sweating immediately, but Ryu, Peco, and Garr looked like they weren't affected at all. Ryu turned around to see them drenched in sweat.

"What's the matter with you two?" Ryu asked them.

"What's the matter with us?" Nina asked. "What about you? There isn't single drop of sweat on you or Garr!"

"I'm used to extreme heat," Garr said, "and Ryu is able to withstand the heat because he is Brood. Either way, we must keep moving. We're much closer to our destination than when we first arrived at Rhapala." They continued through the tunnels, passing streams and pools of bubbling lava. They came to a large lava lake when Nina started to slow down.

"It's so hot..." she said, wiping the sweat from her head. She sat down. "I can't go on... anymore..." Ryu turned around and went to her.

"Come on, Nina," Ryu said, "we have to keep moving."

"But, I can't..."

"You're going to have to," said Garr. "If you stop to rest here, you'll die of dehydration."

"Please, Nina," Momo said. "You have to get up."

"It hurts, though..."

"Nina," Ryu said. "You told me you wanted to become stronger so I wouldn't have to worry about you... Well, now's the time to show me how strong you really are. Get up... please..."

"Okay... I'll try." Nina put her feet upright and tried to push herself up. Ryu stood by her, ready to help if she needed it. 'I need to be strong,' Nina thought. 'I promised Ryu... and myself... that I will be strong!' She finally got back up on her feet, triumphant.

"Are you sure you'll be all right?" Ryu asked her.

"I'll be fine..." They continued down the path, and Ryu and Nina trailed behind, Ryu making sure that Nina would be able to move on her own. They saw a bridge leading across the lava lake, and out to broad daylight.

"There's the exit!" Momo said. "Wait a minute, what's that?" An old man came crawling along the bridge, holding an old cane, and drool dripping from his mouth.

"Hee hee hee..." he cackled. "So you've followed me this far, have you?"

"Uh, excuse me?" Ryu said. "I think you may have the wrong people..."

"What is it, sir?" asked Nina. "We need to get to Angel Tower..." The old man laughed out loud, and started to cough and hack.

"Hee hee... I know... I owe it to all who sleep in the tower... I can't let it end here like this... hee hee..."

"Okay, this guy has got a few screws loose," Ryu said to the others. Suddenly, the room filled with a growling sound.

"Ah," the old man said, "I can hear them... The angry voices of the dead... They call out to me... Ha ha ha ha... You can't get me! I'll avenge them all!! Hee hee hee... ha ha ha...!"

"Alright gramps," Garr said, "just step aside and I promise not to hurt you... much."

"Heed me, Scylla! Heed me, Charybdis!" The whole volcano seemed to shake all of a sudden, as two large mounds emerged from the lava lake. The two mounds erupted like a pair of geysers, and two gigantic serpents rose out of the lava. "Hee hee hee hee!! Die! Die! Dieeee!!"

"Everyone, get away from here!" Garr shouted. Momo, Peco, and Nina ran off in one direction, while Ryu and Garr went the other way.

"Get them! Kill them!" the old man hissed. The two serpents then started to chase them around the lake.

Nina, Momo, and Peco were chased down the path going right from the bridge by the serpent Scylla. It made several dives at them, trying to devour them. They continued running as Scylla reared its head back, and then spewed lava out of its mouth. Momo and Nina quickened their pace, but Peco could not keep up. He leapt into the air, and landed on top of Nina.

"Peco!" Nina called to him. Peco hopped down and into her arms as they kept running.

Meanwhile, Ryu and Garr were being chased by the other serpent Charybdis. It tried to employ the same startegy as its counterpart, lashing out at the two with its head, then spraying molten magma out of its maw.

"This isn't working, Garr!" Ryu shouted to him. "We need to fight back or we're finished!"

'I didn't want to do this,' Garr thought, 'but there's nothing left to do...' "Ryu!" he shouted back. "Use your power! Turn into a dragon! I'll hold him off!" Garr stopped and pulled his spear out. He faced off the giant serpent as Ryu gathered his energy, and transformed into his adult dragon form again. Charybdis lunged its head towards Garr, but was intercepted at the last second by Ryu, using his powerful forearms to hold the serpent's jaws. Ryu then started to inhale.

'Ryu is going to use his fire breath,' Garr thought, 'but that monster basks in the lava... I fear it won't do anything!' "Ryu! Wait! Don't do it!" Ryu then let out a mighty roar. Instead of a jet of flame, a blizzard came spraying out of Ryu's mouth, covering the serpent in ice. It began to jerk around, and then slowly came to a stop, completely frozen. Garr then leapt on top of the monster's head and thrust his spear right through the top of its head. Its body began to crack, and as Garr jumped back to safety, it fell apart, its frozen pieces falling back into the lava lake, creating a massive cloud of steam. Ryu then reverted back to human form.

"Impressive," said Garr. "It appears that you have power over elements other than fire..."

"Heh, what can I say?" Ryu said. "I guess I'm full of surprises." Just then, they saw Momo, Nina, and Peco coming their way, still being chased by Scylla. They ran over to assist them. Scylla cornered the three, and reared back its head. Garr came in and pushed them away as it came down, and Ryu chopped his blade into the serpent's snout. It roared in pain as Ryu wedged his sword back out of its flesh. They then headed back to the bridge as it was still wailing.

"What have you done to my baby!?" the old man said, still standing in the way. The serpent regained its senses, and slithered its way across the lava lake back to the bridge. It tried to make one more lunge at the group.

"Now, Ryu!" Garr yelled to him. They both leapt up to Scylla's face. Ryu drove his sword into one eye, while Garr thrust his spear into the other. They jumped back off as it screamed in agony.

"No! My dear Scylla!" the man cried as the serpent slowly sank into the lava. "Don't worry, my baby! I'll save you!" He jumped off the bridge and landed on its head as it continued to sink. The old man began to laugh wildly as he and Scylla were both submerged into the lava.

"Well, that was... really weird," Ryu said. "Who was that, anyway?"

"I'm not sure," said Momo, "but he sure wasn't your everyday run-of-the-mill old geezer..."

"I don't know who he is," Garr said, "or why he tried to kill us, but it doesn't matter now. The exit is in sight. Let's continue." They all crossed the bridge and out the other side of the volcano.

* * *

They looked down below them, and saw a large city of stone to their left, and a stone pyramid to their right.

"There is Angel Tower," Garr pointed to the right. "But first, we must stop by the city of Urkan Tapa." He then pointed to the left.

"Why?" Ryu asked. "Why do we have to go there?" Garr did not say a word. "Come on, what's with the silent treatment?" Still no response.

"Is there something wrong, Garr?" Nina asked him. He still didn't utter a sound.

"I think we should leave him alone," Momo said, "and do what he said. They all shrugged and headed down the mountain, towards the stone city to the north.

* * *


	16. Sometimes the Truth is Too Much

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Sometimes the Truth is Too Much...**

When Ryu and his friends arrived at the gates of the city of Urkan Tapa, they could tell right away that this was a most religious place. There were monks wandering around, performing mundane tasks, and priests giving sermons to travelers and other faithful people. Then, still without saying a word, Garr headed off into the streets.

"Garr!" Ryu called out to him. "Wait for us!" He began to chase after him.

"Ryu!" Nina cried, also giving chase. Garr walked down the streets, as if fixated on something of great importance, while Ryu and Nina quietly followed. Then, Momo and Peco just caught up with them. When he stopped, Garr was in front of a grand temple. He clapped his hands together, said a short prayer, and walked in. Ryu, Nina, and Momo slowly followed him in. The other monks in the temple stopped what they were doing to see Garr walk past them. They then began to whisper to eachother.

"Is there something we're missing?" Momo asked Ryu and Nina.

"I don't know," Nina said. "These people look like they've seen Garr before..."

"Shh," Ryu said. "He's slowing down. Look." Garr stopped in front of an old man, who was sitting on a raised platform, meditating. Garr knelt down to him as Ryu and the others stood beside him.

"...Is that you, Garr?" the old man asked.

"It is I, Sudama," Garr said. The old man opened his eyes and looked straight at him.

"Welcome back... So, have you made up your mind to join your comrades?"

"Something like that, I guess..."

"So it's true, then... There is no more evil in the world." Garr simply nodded. "I guess your intuition was wrong... So this means the time has come for you to enter your long sleep, then, Guardian Garr."

"Guardian Garr?" Ryu and the others asked.

"Very well," Sudama said. "Go to the Tower... I'll tell the watchmen you're coming." He closed his eyes again. "Farewell... Garr." He quickly returned to his meditation. Garr turned around and started to leave.

"Whoa, hold on there, Garr," Ryu said, trying to cut him off. "I think you owe us a little explanation."

"We do not have time for this," Garr replied. "We must go to Angel Tower immediately."

"Ryu is right, Garr," Momo spoke up. "We want to know exactly what's going on."

"...Very well, but let us set up camp for tonight, then I shall explain..." He then headed out the temple and towards the city gates.

"I hope he has a good explanation..." Ryu said.

* * *

That night, Ryu, Nina, Momo, and Garr all sat around the campfire, waiting to hear Garr's story.

"I apologize," Garr said, "but I must speak to Ryu... in private. I must ask you two to wait in the tent."

"What?" Nina said. "But we want to know--"

"Do as he says, Nina," Ryu said. His attitude had changed completely.

"But Ryu--"

"Please, just listen to me for once. Do as he says." Nina wanted to argue back, but Momo put her hands on her shoulders.

"Come on, Nina," Momo said. "Let them have their privacy." She scooted her into the tent and came in afterwards. After making sure they were gone, Garr turned to Ryu.

"I may look different," he said, "but I am one of those people you saw in the city... I too am an Urkan."

"I see... Go on."

"A Guardian is what people like me... What Urkan warriors are called... We dedicate our lives to protect our people from evil and harm." Just then, Nina poked her head out of the tent.

"It's getting late, you two," she said. "You should come into the tent soon." She went back in. Ryu got up and started to walk into the tent, but Garr still had something to say.

"Ryu..." he said, "about what I said... That you might die..."

"What about it?" Ryu asked.

"Oh, never mind..." Garr just stared at the fire. "You'll understand when we get there..." Ryu shrugged and headed into the tent. Momo and Peco were already fast asleep, and Nina was awake, waiting for them to come in.

"Nina, you're still awake?" Ryu asked her.

"I can't sleep..." she said. "How can I sleep? When we get to the tower... you might die..."

"'Might', right? That doesn't mean I will."

"But still... I'm worried about you... I care about your safety, just as you care about mine. I have a feeling... a feeling something very bad will happen when we arrive at the tower..." Ryu sat down next to her.

"You don't have to worry about me," he said, putting his hand on her shoulder. "I'm going to be fine, Nina. You just have to have some faith..."

"Ryu..."

"Just get some rest for now. You'll need all the energy you can get for tomorrow."

"I'll try... Good night, Ryu." Nina hesitated a little, then gave Ryu a quick kiss on the cheek. This surprised Ryu, and he started to blush. He crawled over to his sleeping bag and nestled himself in. He looked at Nina one more time, then closed his eyes, and went to sleep.

* * *

The next morning, everybody got up early. Ryu crawled out of his sleeping bag and stretched a little. Garr then walked into the tent. He had been staying up all night, and showed no sign of exhaustion.

"It's time," he said. The others got up, and they all left the camp and headed south. When they made it to the foot of Angel Tower, the watchmen stopped them.

"Only those of the Urkan, or those given permission by the elder may set foot on this sacred ground," the watchman said. He then noticed Garr. "Many pardons, Guardian Garr. The elder has told us that you were coming. Please, proceed." He humbly stepped aside, and Garr took point. They scaled the stairs of the massive pyramid, and at the top was a doorway, blocked off by a stone slab. Garr grabbed the slab by its side, and pulled it out of the way.

"Ryu and I must go in alone," Garr said. "Momo, Nina, and even Peco... you must wait out here."

"Not again!" Nina said. "I want to come with you! I want to know about the Brood, too!"

"...Sometimes the truth is too much... Come, Ryu, we must go now." Garr headed into the doorway. Ryu was about to do the same, until Nina grabbed his arm. He turned around to face her.

"Please..." she said, "come back safe, okay?"

"I'll be fine, Nina," Ryu said. "I promise..." Nina slowly loosened her grip on his arm, and he headed into the pyramid after Garr.

"Nina..." Momo could sense her concern for Ryu. "You've done all you can for him. Just have faith that he'll be okay..."

"Pukyu..." Peco cooed, and nuzzled up to her, trying to make her feel better.

"Ryu..." Nina put her hand to her heart. "...be careful..."

* * *

Once Ryu and Garr stepped into the pyramid, it was a straight descent down a massive set of stairs. Ryu couldn't even see where the stairs ended.

"That's deep..." Ryu commented. Garr was silent as he walked down the steps. Ryu quietly followed. It felt like an eternity, but after minutes upon minutes of walking, they came into an enormous room. They were on top of a platform, elevated above a seemingly endless field of bones. There was a large monument standing in the middle of the room, with four small slabs placed around it. Ryu could feel a sudden chill travel down his spine.

"What is this place?" he asked Garr.

"You'll know soon enough..." Garr began to walk around the monument, and Ryu slowly followed. As they passed the slabs, Ryu got to take a quick glance at each of them:

* * *

_Guardian Gaist - 234_

_Guardian Gaw - 198_

_Guardian Gatz - 201_

* * *

Garr then stopped in front of the fourth slab. "Read the inscription, Ryu," he said. Ryu walked up to the slab, and read what was engraved upon its surface:

* * *

_Guardian Garr - 299_

* * *

"Garr? What is this all about?" Ryu turned around. "No more hiding! Tell me, what does all of this mean?"

"...Recorded on these stone tablets," he said, "...are the names of us Guardians... otherwise known as Dragon-Slayers!" Ryu gasped, and began to back away from Garr and the monument. When he got near the edge of the platform, he turned around and looked at the bones. He then realized that they were dragon skeletons. Ryu was too petrified to move.

"You mean..." he said. "...This place...?" Just then, small wisps of light rose out of the piles of bones, and began to circle around the two of them.

"The number below my name," Garr continued, "...is the number of dragons I killed in the long-forgotten Dragon Wars..." The wisps of light merged into one point, in front of Garr, and the image of a dragon's head appeared before him. Garr did not budge an inch as the image quickly vanished. "Ryu... Let me tell you what happened to your people... What happened to the Brood..." He began to step away from Ryu, who was still too shocked to say anything. "Nearly 400 years ago... The savage and malevolent Brood attempted to conquer the world, igniting a fierce war. The Brood were strong and awesome... We, the people of Urkan, beseeched our God for protection from their great evil." He turned and faced Ryu. "Our God bestowed upon us Guardians Her holy might in order to fight the Brood... After a mighty struggle, the last of the Brood were defeated and their bones laid here..." He then pulled out his spear and pointed it at Ryu.

"Garr, what are you doing?" Ryu asked him. "This is insane! I don't want to fight you!"

"Ryu... You are the last of the Brood. Once you are dealt with... my purpose shall be complete... Prepare yourself, Ryu!" Suddenly, Garr came charging straight towards Ryu. Garr swung at him with his spear, but Ryu jumped back.

"Garr, please stop!" Ryu shouted. "I'm your friend! I don't want to hurt you!" Garr totally ignored him as he continued to attack him. Ryu pulled out his sword. "But if I must, I will!" Ryu swung his sword, and both their blades met with a resounding clang. They were both caught in a dead-lock, staring down the other's face, just inches away from eachother. They jumped away from eachother, and continued to face off.

"I'm going to ask one more time, Garr," Ryu said. "Put away your weapon."

"I cannot," Garr answered. "My duty forbids me to put it away... and it beckons me to fulfill it!" He charged at Ryu again, who stood his ground, and took one more swing at him. The sound of metal echoed across the entire room. Garr stumbled back, holding a broken spear in his hand. The blade came spinning out of the sky, and stuck itself into the ground at Garr's feet. Ryu had swung his sword down, breaking the Guardian's weapon. Ryu looked at him for a moment, then slowly put his sword back in his sheath.

"Ugh..." Garr grunted. "...Just as I suspected. We were no match for the true power of the Brood. But why...?"

"Garr..." Ryu started to approach him, but another giant wisp of light rushed in front of him. It flew in front of him, and the image of the dragon's head appeared again, and quickly vanished again. A moaning sound filled the air. "Garr... are you all right?" Ryu asked him.

"What...?" Garr looked surprised. "Why don't you finish me off...?"

"I don't want to hurt you... you're my friend..." Suddenly, Ryu felt something come over him. A voice began to pour into his head and cloud his thoughts.

"NO," the voice said. Ryu began to feel a sharp pain in his chest. "He is not your enemy." The pain spread throughout his body as Ryu grabbed his head. The room began to quake, and Ryu let out a scream of pain. A pillar of light began to cover Ryu, as Garr looked on, astonished. Suddenly, the pillar faded, and Ryu was encased within a thin bubble of light that lifted him into the air. The image of a grand dragon then appeared in front of Garr. It let out a roar that shook the room even more.

"Kaiser... Dragon...?" Garr said. The image began to glow, and in a bright flash of light, it had vanished. Garr had to cover his eyes, and when the light faded, he looked around, but there was no sign of Ryu. Just then, Nina and Momo came rushing into the room.

"Garr, what's going on?" Momo asked him. "The whole place started to shake, and we were afraid something had happened."

"Where's Ryu?" Nina asked, looking around. Garr did not respond. "Garr, what happened!? What happened to Ryu!?"

"...He's gone," Garr said.

"Gone?" Momo asked. "What do you mean, 'gone'? What is that supposed to mean!?" Garr wouldn't say another word.

"Oh no..." Nina said. "Ryu... RYUUU!!!" Her voiced echoed around the room, but there was no response to her cry.

* * *

Ryu found himself stumbling through the darkness, running away from something. More voices began to call out to him. Images of the grand dragon appeared in his mind. Ryu was gasping for air. He didn't what to do or where to go. A large sphere of light rushed out past him, then raced back and stopped next to him.

"Why do you run?" came a familiar voice from his dreams. Ryu immediately tried to run away from it, but it cut him off. "We're not like them... We're not supposed to be with them..." Ryu tried to run off again, the words playing in his mind again and again like a broken record. He slowly felt himself changing... his hands and feet turned into claws, a pair of wings and a tail sprouted out of his back, and horns grew out the back of his head, but he kept running... into the darkness.

_**To Be Continued...**_

* * *


	17. Ghosts of the Past

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 17: Ghosts of the Past**

"Ugh..." Garr grunted. "...Just as I suspected. We were no match for the true power of the Brood. But why...?"

"Garr..." Ryu started to approach him, but another giant wisp of light rushed in front of him. It flew in front of him, and the image of the dragon's head appeared again, and quickly vanished again. A moaning sound filled the air. "Garr... are you all right?" Ryu asked him.

"What...?" Garr looked surprised. "Why don't you finish me off...?"

"I don't want to hurt you... you're my friend..." Suddenly, Ryu felt something come over him. A voice began to pour into his head and cloud his thoughts.

"NO," the voice said. Ryu began to feel a sharp pain in his chest. "He is not your enemy." The pain spread throughout his body as Ryu grabbed his head. The room began to quake, and Ryu let out a scream of pain. A pillar of light began to cover Ryu, as Garr looked on, astonished. Suddenly, the pillar faded, and Ryu was encased within a thin bubble of light that lifted him into the air. The image of a grand dragon then appeared in front of Garr. It let out a roar that shook the room even more.

"Kaiser... Dragon...?" Garr said. The image began to glow, and in a bright flash of light, it had vanished. Garr had to cover his eyes, and when the light faded, he looked around, but there was no sign of Ryu.

* * *

_**10 years later...**_

A small dragon whelp was wandering an abandoned mine shaft. It was being chased by a large gargoyle man, dressed in a simple monk's robe, with a necklace of prayer beads around his neck, and a spear in his hand. The small dragon turned around and shot a jet of flames out at him, but it didn't faze him.

"Tsk!" the gargoyle man said. The dragon continued to run, but the man cut him off by going around another way. The dragon tried to shoot fire at him again, but then the man slashed at it with his spear, knocking it to the ground. Suddenly, the dragon's body began to throb, and it became covered in light. Its claws morphed into arms, hands, legs, and feet, its tail and wings shrank and disappeared into its back, and its head slowly changed into a human head. When the light faded, a young man, with short spiky blue hair, who appeared to be in his late teens, naked as a wild animal, was lying on the ground in front of the gargoyle man.

"...Ryu?" the large gargoyle man said, his eyes wide. "Is it really you? Do you recognize me?" The young man slowly opened his eyes, and looked at him.

"Uhhh..." he groaned. "...Garr? Is that you...? What happened? I feel like I've been asleep for a long time..."

"I've been searching for you for years... ten years to be exact. Look at yourself." Ryu looked down, and saw his now mature body.

"I've grown up... Was it really ten years...?"

"I've been searching for you... ever since you vanished from Angel Tower that fateful day... Then, I heard stories of a dragon appearing in an old mine... Ryu... Is this your...?"

"I... remember now... This place... is my home... was my home..."

"Ryu..." Garr hunbly knelt down to him. "Can you ever forgive me for the horrible thing I tried to do to you?" Ryu looked at him for a long time. He could see that even though it was Garr's duty to kill all dragons, he was truly sorry.

"Of course I forgive you, Garr..." Ryu said. "I told you before, you're my friend. And friends shouldn't hate eachother. Then they wouldn't be very good friends... right?"

"I've killed many of your people... many dragons... I thought that was my purpose... But now..." Garr then dropped a large sack on the ground. "Anyway... Let's get you out of here first, eh? There's some clothes and armor in that bag. After all, we can't have you running around in your birthday suit, now, can we?" Ryu looked down at his naked form, and blushed in embarassment. He picked up the sack and went around the corner to change into them. When Ryu came back out, he was in a pair of green pants and a shirt, with leather boots, and a steel breastplate. On top of that was a white overcoat and a red scarf.

"I'm ready," Ryu finally said.

"One more thing," Garr said. He handed Ryu a sword with a long, thin blade, tucked away in a red sheath with a strap. Ryu put the strap across his chest, and Garr began to walk away. "If you want to hear the rest of what I have to say, then follow me. I shouldn't stay here for too long..." He then left the small mine shaft. Ryu quickly followed after him. In the next room, Garr stopped after taking a few steps from the door.

"If you want to kill me..." he said, "You have the power... and probably the right to do so..." He then turned to Ryu. "But you didn't kill me... even after I tried to kill you... Just like the dragons 400 years ago."

"I told you before," Ryu said, "it's all right. I'm not going to hold any kind of grudge against you. I don't want to hurt my friends, no matter what they do."

"If the Brood had fought back in the war... It would be us that died and turned into chrysm like in this mine. Ever since our battle, I have begun to think... Why did they let us kill them??? Why did God have us kill the Brood!? I may not have the right to say this, but... I want to know the truth."

"So do I. That's the reason I travelled with you, remember?"

"That's why I must ask you... I ask you to let me live until then..." Ryu nodded. "Thank you... Now, let's get out of this mine." He turned back around, and they both began to walk down the abandoned mine. Ryu could see the remains of dragon skeletons trapped in the walls. Their empty eye sockets seemed to just stare at him. Ryu and Garr came to an elevator, Garr pushed a button, and they both got into the elevator.

"So..." Garr said. "This must have been where you were born..."

"Yes," Ryu said. "I felt attracted to this place... like it was where I belonged..."

"The powerful Brood aura from this place must have called out to you... eh, Ryu?" Just then, a stinging sensation overcame Ryu, like a thousand needles poking into his brain.

"That's right," came a voice in Ryu's head. "I called out to you..."

"Ryu, is there something wrong?" Garr asked him.

"No, I'm fine," Ryu said. "I'm wondering... are Momo, Peco, or Nina here with you?"

"I'm afraid not," Garr said. "Ever since that day, they thought that you were dead, and went their separate ways. Momo and Peco returned to the plant to help the scientists with their research, and Nina went back to Wyndia Castle... and I was searching for you the whole time..."

"I see..." When the elevator stopped, They walked back out. There were no lanterns in the entire room, but Ryu and Garr could still see good enough to see where they were going. They came to a large passage in the rocky wall.

"Here's where I came in from," Garr said. "We should be able to get out this way." Just then, a gust of wind blew from nowhere, and a voice echoed.

"What do you think you're doing... Guardian!?" it boomed. The voice slightly became gentler as it spoke to Ryu. "...Ryu... "

"How do you know my name?" Ryu asked the voice.

"...Ryu... Why do you let him live...? Why do you let our enemy live!?"

"A dragon...?" Garr asked himself. Suddenly, they heard a bubbling noise coming from behind them. They turned around, and saw a puddle of blood coming out of the ground, becoming bigger and bigger.

"Can you hear it, Guardian?" the voice asked Garr. "Can you hear our spilt blood crying out for vengeance!?" A giant dragon began to rise out of the puddle, covered in blood. The blood dripped off its body, revealing it to be a skeleton.

"Guardian..." the dragon zombie said. "It's been... what? 400 years? You, who tried to exterminate us... Where are you taking Ryu?"

"I..." Garr had a slight tone of fear mixed with guilt in his voice. "I am taking Ryu... to meet our God." Ryu was surprised and looked at Garr.

"Why?" the zombie asked. "To make a sacrificial offering of the last dragon?"

"...To learn the truth... To learn if the war we fought 400 years ago was right..."

"Ha! That was a lie if I've ever heard one!" The dragon zombie looked at Ryu. "Ryu... Kill him! Avenge our people's memories!! They destroyed us! The Guardians killed us all!"

"Listen," said Ryu. "I don't know who the heck you are, but frankly, I don't care! Garr is my friend, and I don't hurt my friends! If you don't like it, then tough!"

"No!?" the zombie roared at him. "Why not!? Don't you despise him? Don't you hate him? He killed your people! He killed your family!" Ryu was silent. Then he looked at the zombie dragon.

"You must not hate," were the words that escaped his lips. His eyes widened, because he said it without even thinking. It was like someone else was speaking for him.

"Silence!" the zombie roared again. "The Guardian has obviously poisoned your mind and corrupted your ability to judge! Then you will die with him in this place!" It began to stomp on the floor, shaking the entire room. Bones and rocks began to fall out of the ceiling as Ryu and Garr jumped aside. The zombie opened its mouth, and a large green glowing orb could be seen in the back of it. The orb began to spray out a thick black cloud of smog. They both covered their mouths, coughing. They looked around, but the smog was too thick. Suddenly, A large, bony claw erupted from the cloud and smacked Garr away.

"Garr!" Ryu cried out to him. Then, another claw came out at him. He jumped out of the way, and the other claw swung at him again. Just before it could make contact, a barrier came up around Ryu's body and knocked the claw back.

"What!?" the dragon zombie growled. "It can't be... reviled one! Why must you always interfere!?" The barrier around Ryu began to grow, sweeping away the smog. It then left Ryu's body, and wrapped itself around the zombie. Ryu ran over to Garr and helped him back to his feet as they both looked on. "Why must you always restrain us!?" The barrier began to close in on the zombie, compressing its body. It shrank down to the size of a bowling ball, and quickly dissipated. Suddenly, a bright light filled the room. Ryu and Garr turned to the source of the light, and saw a woman, with long dark blue hair, and dragon wings coming out of her back.

"That was not a dragon," she said in the most gentle voice Ryu had ever heard.

"Are you of the Brood?" Garr asked her. She did not respond to his question. Instead, she came closer to Ryu and pointed to him.

"A true dragon..." She came ever closer to him, and put her hand on the side of his cheek. A feeling of warmth and love began to flow through Ryu's body as he looked at her smiling face. "Be strong... always..." The woman's body began to glow, and she turned into a ball of light and entered Ryu's chest.

"It feels... warm," Ryu said. "Familiar..."

"Ryu...?" Garr looked at him. "What was that?"

"I'm not exactly sure... but she seemed so familiar to me..."

"A true dragon... That's what she said, right? What does it mean?" Ryu looked at himself, then shook his head. "...You don't know that either, eh? I suppose we will find the answer to that in the future, but for now, let's get out of here." Ryu nodded, and they both headed out of the mine.

* * *

Outside, the foreman was waiting for Garr.

"Well now, well now, Mr. Garr," he said, "Were you able to get rid of that dragon for us...huh?" He looked at Ryu. "Who might that good-looking young fella be?"

"Don't worry about that," Garr said. "I took care of the dragon for you... it's gone."

"Really? That's good news! That dragon... he ran around, spitting fire at everyone... killed some of my men..." Ryu began to look away, feeling guilty. "...He also destroyed all the machines, and pretty much made a real big mees of everything here." Ryu couldn't stand it. He felt his strength leaking out of him as he fell to his knees, grabbing his head. "Hey, kid, you alright?" the foreman asked him.

"I'm... all right," Ryu said. "Just tired." He lied to him, and to himself. He couldn't help but feel guilty about causing so much trouble.

"Anyway, thanks a lot, Mr. Garr. Here's your payment, as promised." He tossed Garr a bag of gold. Garr opened it and began to count it.

"500 gold pieces? That's all?" Garr asked.

"I wish we could pay you more, but we're a little pressed for cash seeing that we'll need to repair the equipment and hire more miners."

"...It'll do. Come on, Ryu." Garr went over to him and helped him back up. As they headed for the exit, Garr looked at Ryu, seeing that he looked disturbed.

"I know it may not help," he said to Ryu, "but... don't judge yourself too harshly. You're not quite in complete control of your power just yet... Just try not to think about it."

"Not think about it?" Ryu asked. "How can I? I... I let myself lose control... I hurt innocent people... it's my fault..."

"...You've changed a lot since you were a kid, Ryu."

"I know... Ever since that day ten years ago, I've been thinking a lot about everything..." Ryu then took a deep breath. "But we can talk about that later. Let's go." Garr nodded, and they continued out to the main road.

* * *


	18. Reunions and Revenge

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 18: Reunions... and Revenge**

Ryu and Garr were traveling south along the main trade road, leaving the mines behind them.

"Garr?" Ryu asked him. "Where are we exactly?"

"We're in the Dauna region," Garr said. "Far to the northwest of Wyndia. If we follow the road south and cross Ogre Road, near Syn City, we'll be in the Yrrall region..."

"Yrrall region..."

"Hmm? Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's just that... I spent most of my childhood near a town in the Yrrall region. Nothing important, though."

"Very well, then. Before we get there, though, we'll set up camp for the night."

* * *

That night, Ryu had another dream. Except that it wasn't exactly a dream, but more like a memory. He heard people screaming and saw more running away from him. He looked at him, and saw that he was in his dragon form. There were charred bodies of miners scattered around the ground. Ryu sprang out of bed, gasping for air. He looked around, but Garr was nowhere to be found. He got up and looked outside. Garr was sitting by the campfire, just like he always does. Ryu walked out of the tent, and sat down next to him.

"Can't sleep, eh?" Garr asked him.

"Yeah..." Ryu said.

"I have to apologize to you, Ryu... Not only for trying to kill you, but... I don't know if it's right to take you with me."

"Garr..."

"To take you with me like this... as I search for God. But... why did God see it fit to try and destroy the Brood...? That's a question whose answer you have a right to know." He picked up a small log and fed it to the fire. "They say that a ferocious monster is in Ogre Road, attacking anyone who passes through... once we get past there, we'll head east to Wyndia, and move further east... back to Angel Tower."

"...We should both get some rest," said Ryu.

"I agree." They both got up and headed back into the tent.

* * *

The next morning, Ryu and Garr arrived at Ogre Road. They noticed how the ground changed from rock and dirt to lush green grass as the road led through a forest. They both quietly headed down the road, when all of a sudden, they heard a rustling sound in the trees.

"What was that?" Ryu said.

"We should keep moving," said Garr. They took another step, and then they heard a growling sound.

"We're being watched... Look out!" Suddenly, a large creature lunged out of the trees, extending its claws out at Garr. Ryu jumped in front of him and knocked it away with his sword. He got a good look at the monster, and saw that it was a large weretiger. It growled and roared at him, and then swung at him with its claws. Ryu blocked each blow with his sword, and then took a swing at the weretiger's chest. He left a nice straight cut across its chest. It stared at Ryu a long time, then roared, and ran off back into the trees.

"What was that?" Garr asked.

"I don't know..." Ryu said, "but something was wrong. Did you see it hesitate for a second there?"

"What? I wonder what it was thinking..."

"I think... it was actually holding back on us. We should get going before it changes its mind." He put his sword away, and they both headed for the exit. The weretiger was quietly sitting in the trees, watching Ryu as he walked away.

* * *

When they came upon open land again, Ryu could tell right away where they were. Off to the east, he could see the town of McNeil, his childhood home. It didn't look like it had changed ever since he left.

"Is that the town you were talking about before?" Garr asked him.

"Yeah, that's it," said Ryu. "Brings back lots of memories... good and bad." They continued down the road and headed towards the town. When they got to the intersection between the road to McNeil village and Wyndia, Wyndian guards were setting up a blockade on the road to Wyndia.

"Excuse me," Ryu asked them. "Could you tell us what's going on here? What's with the blockade?"

"I'm sorry, sirs," one of the guards said, "But we must ask you to wait here."

"What seems to be the trouble?" Garr asked.

"The village is under investigation after we received word that someone in McNeil village had been smuggling foodstuffs into the black market... None of the villagers are allowed to enter or leave until the investigation is over." Ryu sighed and turned to Garr, putting his hands behind his head.

"Well, looks like we're stuck here," said Ryu.

"Hmph," Garr said. "We're low on supplies, anyway. Let's go to the village and see what's happening, hmm?" Ryu nodded, and they headed down the road into town. When they arrived, there were guards and inspectors everywhere, interrogating all the villagers. One of the villagers walked past Ryu and Garr, not saying a word.

"Hmm," Ryu said, "I guess nobody recognizes me since it's been so long."

"You know," Garr said, "It would be nice to sleep in a bed for a change... Is there an inn nearby?"

"Yeah, right over there." Ryu remembered where the inn was because he remembered breaking in one time to steal food as a kid. They headed in and the owner greeted them.

"Welcome!" she said. "Are you looking for a room for tonight?" She then took a look at Ryu. "Say... don't I know you from somewhere?"

"Uhh..." Ryu didn't know what to say. "...No, never been here before in my life. Just a traveling stranger." Even if he told her who he was, she probably wouldn't believe him.

"Hmm, that's strange... because you look like a little boy I once knew... He used to cause a lot of trouble, breaking into people's houses and stealing their food. Then he killed a giant monster, which was good for a while, that is until he broke into the mayor's house and stole his money. Ever since that day, about ten years ago, no one has seen him since..."

"I see..."

"But I've carried on long enough! You two must be tired. That'll be ten gold from the both of you." Garr pulled out his reward money and put 20 gold coins on the counter. "Right this way, gentlemen." She headed upstairs, and Ryu and Garr followed.

"Can you tell us what's going on around these parts recently?" Ryu asked the innkeeper.

"We've been having nothing but problems recently. There's a wild tiger on the loose. Then, the mayor's under investigation for smuggling. The stores in the village are still open, amazingly--got to make a living, right?"

"A tiger, eh?" Garr asked. "I wonder if it was the same one that got away from us on Ogre Road..." The innkeeper froze in her tracks.

"Got away!? You mean you didn't kill it!?"

"Should we have?" Ryu asked, already expecting what kind of answer to get.

"Last night, that tiger showed up, with a large cut across its chest. It ran off into the Cedar Woods to the north of here! I'm not blaming you or anything, but you should steer clear of the forest. There's nothing more dangerous than hunting a wounded animal!"

"Perhaps we are not to blame," Garr said, "but maybe you would like us to go and take care of this problem?"

"Would you?" the innkeeper asked. "Oh, that would be wonderful! You look like an honest couple, so I'll let you stay here tonight, on the house." She stopped in front of a door. "Here's your room, gentlemen." She politely oened the door, and Ryu and Garr walked in.

* * *

That night, Ryu got up out of bed. He couldn't sleep. He looked at Garr, who appeared to be fast asleep, the bed under him looking like it was about to give in to his tremendous weight. Ryu slowly got out of the bed, but his clothes on and snuck out the door. Garr opened one eye, and saw him sneaking out. When Ryu got outside, he saw that everyone was asleep. He then looked towards the woods.

"Could it be...?" he asked himself. He then started to go into the woods. Garr just came out of the inn door and saw Ryu entering the woods.

"Ryu...?" Garr decided to keep his distance and follow him.

* * *

**::Flashback::**

"Ryu...? Teepo...?" Rei got up and looked around. He had a sharp pain in his chest from Balio's attack. He looked up, and saw the burning treehouse above him. "Ryu! Teepo!" He leapt up to the top of a tree, and looked around, but there was no sign of the two children. "No... Noooooooo!!" His screams were heard all across the forest.

**::End flashback::**

* * *

Ryu stopped when he saw the remains of an old burnt-down house in a large tree surrounded by a stream. He stared at it for a long time, when suddenly, he felt someone grab his shoulder. He immediately pulled out his sword and turned around. It was Garr.

"Garr?" Ryu said, slowly putting his sword down. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Garr said. "This place... what is it?"

"It used to be my home... until Balio and Sunder burned it to the ground. If it weren't for them, I'd still be living here with my two friends, and I would've never gone out and met Nina, Momo, Peco, or you. I guess I'm almost... thankful for it." Just then, there came a growling sound. Ryu turned to one of the trees, and saw a familiar shape rushing through the treetops.

"Is it here?" Garr grabbed his spear, but Ryu put his arm out, motioning him to stop.

"Wait here," Ryu said. "I'll take care of this."

"You want to go alone? Hmmm... it's my guess that you know something about that tiger that I don't... In that case, go on. I'll wait right here." Ryu smiled and nodded, and approached the great tree. As he climbed up the steps to the door, he could feel the tiger watching him. It jumped from the trees and landed behind the house. When Ryu looked around the corner, there was a man, with short blond hair, in red pants, a black vest, and a headband across his forehead. He had large clawed feet, and a big fluffy tail coming out of his back. And across his chest was a large scar.

"Who's there?" he asked Ryu.

"It's been a long time...Rei," Ryu said.

"...Ryu? Is that you?" He got up and looked closer at him. He then shook his head in disbelief. "Was that you... at Ogre Road?" Ryu simply nodded. Rei started to laugh out loud. "Ha...ha ha ha! So that was you!? Ha ha ha ha ha ha!" He calmed down and looked at Ryu again. "Well doesn't that beat all..." came his catch-phrase. "I never thought I'd get beaten by you, Ryu! I wasn't holding back at all!"

"Was that the case?" Ryu said. "I thought you were made of sterner stuff."

"It's nice to know that you're okay, Ryu... I mean, I thought..." Rei stopped and climbed further up the tree, and Ryu followed. "Near Ogre Road... there's a black market. The guys who tried to kill us--the ones working with McNeil--came from there... It took me a while, but I finally tracked them down... I kept an eye on who went in and out of the black market from the road." He turned to Ryu. "I kept attacking them. I thought I would avenge you and Teepo, but look how I ended up..." He climbed futher up the tree until he reached the very top branch.

"What about Teepo?" Ryu asked him. "Do you know what happened to him?"

"I... don't know. On that day, I thought I was the only one who survived. There was no sign of you or Teepo... I feel a little better now... knowing that at least you're alive and well... but I can't stop! I won't stop until I teach those guys not to mess with me or my... family." He then leapt off the top of the tree and disappeared into the woods. Ryu tried to stop him, but he was too slow. A loud roar filled the forest air as Ryu climbed back down the tree.

"Rei..." Ryu said to himself as he went back to Garr.

"What happened to the man-eating tiger?" Garr asked Ryu. Ryu then explained that the tiger was actually one of his childhood friends that he had been looking for the whole time.

"I think he was headed for the village," Ryu said.

"To the village?" Garr asked. "We should get back there immediately." They both then raced across the woods and back to McNeil village.

* * *

When they arrived, all the villagers and inspectors were gathering around one spot. Ryu pushed past the crowd to see the inspectors helping up a thin-looking man in a familiar green cloak, cuts, bruises, and blood covering his entire body. It was Loki, the man who had ruined Ryu's, Rei's, and Teepo's lives with his get-rich-quick scheme.

"What happened here?" Ryu asked one of the villagers.

"That tiger just came rushing into the village in broad daylight!" the villager replied. "It attacked that man and ran off again before anyone could do anything."

"Ouch! Ouch!" Loki cried. "It hurts! It hurts!"

"Please calm down, sir," the inspector said. "Just tell us what happened."

"He came... out of nowhere... he's supposed to be... dead... he is dead! It's... not possible...!"

"What should we do now, Ryu?"

"I have a good idea where he'll strike next," Ryu said to him. "Follow me!" Ryu knew exactly where he was going. Mayor McNeil--the next person that destroyed his childhood. Rei was going to attack him next. When they got onto the estate grounds, they saw a squad of Wyndian soldiers carrying the tied-up mayor away from the manor. Next to them was a young woman, with short blonde hair that seemed to flare out a bit from the back of her head, wearing a red hairband. She had on a red dress that cut off halfway down her thighs with short sleeves, a large green brooch on her chest, and red boots that went up to her knees. On her back were a pair of wings, about half her size in height, with two large plumes on either side that stretched downwards, almost touching the ground. The young woman was guiding the entire group to the main road until she ordered the guards to stop.

"Mr. McNeil," she said to the mayor, "you have been found guilty of smuggling. In the name of the King of Wyndia, I hereby place you under arrest!"

"N-n-n-no!" the mayor cried. "You've got it all wrong! It wasn't me, really!" The woman placed her hands on her hips.

"We know a thing or two about your friends Balio and Sunder...the ones who work for the organization you told us about! But they..."

"...are dead...yes?" Garr finished her sentence as he and Ryu approached her. "Long time no see... Princess Nina."

"Garr?" Nina looked at him. "What are you doing here?" She then looked at Ryu standing right next to him. "...Ryu?" She stared at him for a long time, and the guards began to mumble among themselves, not knowing what was going on. She then turned to them and ordered them to attention.

"So, this is the infamous Mayor McNeil, is it?" Garr asked her, looking at him. The mayor started to get nervous. "We might be able to tell you a little something about that organization, but first...I think you should send him off to Wyndia without delay."

"All right, Garr," Nina said as she turned to the guards. "Return to the castle and take Mr. McNeil with you." The guards saluted, and hauled the mayor off towards the main road. She turned back to Garr. "Now, please tell me what's going on here?" Garr began to explain to her, starting with Ryu's disappearance, finding him in the mines, crossing Ogre Road, up to the point where Ryu met Rei again.

* * *

"...And that's what happened," Garr said. When he finished, they had all been sitting at the side of the road because of the length of his story.

"Hmmm... the power of the Brood..." Nina looked at Ryu. "Ryu..." She buried her face in her legs. "I don't know what to say... I mean,I thought you were..."

"Hey, what did I say?" Ryu asked her. "I told you I'd be alright. See? Not a scratch on me!"

"I know, but..." She got up and ran over to him, squeezing him tightly. "I'm just so glad you're all right!"

"Gack... hugging... too hard... can't breathe... again..." Nina immediately let go.

"Sorry," Nina said. "And then there's the things about the Brood. It all seems so big..."

"I only just realized that while I have fought the dragons for over 500 years, I still barely know anything about them," Garr said. "Of course, Ryu himself is the one who must be really curious... right, Ryu?"

"I'll say," Ryu said. "I know almost nothing about my people, and I'm one of them! Kind of embarassing, really..." Nina then got up and stretched her arms.

"I see..." Nina said. "Let's concentrate on more urgent matters for now, okay?" Ryu and Garr both looked at her, as if what they were just talking about wasn't important. "Don't give me that look! What if Syn City is the headquarters of that gang? We should go check it out! No matter how hard we think about it, we're not going to figure anything out about the Brood just standing here! So we should take care of the business at hand--the investigation! So let's get going!"

"Follow us, then," Ryu said. "We know the way to Syn City." They began to set off, but Nina stopped them.

"Oh, and by the way..." she said. "Don't worry about Mr. McNeil. No matter how strong that tiger is, he won't be able to break into the castle!" After they had left, there was a growling sound coming from a tree close to where they were talking. Then, a large shadow leapt out of the tree and headed towards the west.

* * *

After Ryu and Garr escorted Nina back down the main road and across Ogre Road, they arrived in Syn City. The streets were completely empty when they arrived.

"Something's... not right," Nina said as she looked around. Garr then began to sniff the air.

"That smell..." he said. "...it's blood." Suddenly, a man came crawling up to them, covered in blood, and fell to the ground. Ryu and Nina ran over to him.

"Are you alright?" Ryu asked him. "Can you tell us what just happened here?"

"T...tiger..." the man murmured. "Came... out of nowhere. hack  
Killed anyone who fought back... It kept growling... asking where the boss was..."

"Where are they now?" Nina asked him.

"The boss... took off a long time ago... western checkpoint... that monster went running after him, and-- uhhh..." The man stopped breathing as his body went limp.

"He's dead," Ryu said. "Rei... what have you done?"

"Rei?" Nina asked. "Isn't that one of your friends you were looking for a long time ago?"

"Yeah, but that's not important right now. We have to go stop him!"

"He said that their leader was heading for the western checkpoint... if he gets there, he'll be out of Wyndia's area of jurisdiction. We have to hurry!" They all raced out the city gates, to cut the gang leader off at the checkpoint.

* * *

When they arrived, they were cut off by something rushing past them. The weretiger landed behind a large man with green hair, wearing a big red robe, carrying bags full of money under his arms.

"Ah! A tiger!" the man screamed. The tiger slowly turned into Rei. The man started to make a break for the checkpoint, but Rei threw a knife past his face and hit the wall, making him stop in his tracks. "Aargh! What do you think you're doing!?" Rei walked up to him with an enraged look on his face. "Do you know who I am!?"

"I know who you are exactly," Rei replied. "You're the don of Syn City--the high and mighty Mikba, right?"

"...Well, then--You know what'll happen to you if you mess with me then, right? I'll ignore what you've done to Syn City... just as long as you stop your little game now, okay?" Rei just shook his head and pulled out his twin daggers with a loud shing sound. Mikba drobbed his bags.

"That's what your men said years ago," Rei said. "When they came to try and kill us--that our game had gone too far..." He then ran at him, and shoved his knife into Mikba's heart, pulled it out, and jumped back. Mikba clutched his chest, trying to keep the blood from escaping. "But unfortunately, I'm still a kid at heart, you see... I just don't know when to quit."

"Rei! That's enough!" Ryu shouted to him as he, Nina, and Garr ran up to him.

"...Ryu... I thought you might show up." Rei began to laugh. "If I had been as strong then as I am now... maybe I could've saved Teepo..." Without them noticing, Mikba's body began to morph. His skin turned black and scaly, horns grew out the top of his head, and his body slowly shifted into that of a giant demon. "But I never wanted to hurt anyone. That's why I kept goofing off, playing robber. I was afraid of my own strength..." Suddenly, a giant axe appeared in Mikba's hands, and smacked Rei with the broad side of the blade, knocking him into the wall.

"Rei!" Ryu said, kneeling over to him, trying to wake him up.

"Afraid to hurt people?" the demonic Mikba asked. "You, a man-eating tiger!? Our powers have been given to us by God to use as we see fit! Use it to make your life better--like me!" He then snorted and looked at Ryu. "So, you're Ryu, huh? You're the punk who killed Balio and Sunder, aren't you? Good! I can tie up all the loose ends at once, then! Say hi to them for me in the afterlife!" He swung his axe around, making a big sweep across the area. Ryu and Garr jumped above it, while Nina ducked under it. He swung again, but Garr blocked his attack with his spear.

"Now! While he's vulnerable!" Garr shouted to Ryu and Nina. Nina got up, and pulled out a wand that looked bigger and more glorious than the one she used as a child. She held it high in the air, and began to chant. Energy began to gather at the wand's tip, and a cyclone of wind appeared around her. It shot out towards Mikba, cutting his axe apart with its razor sharp winds. Ryu then leapt up to his face, and brought his sword down on him. He left a large gash across his face as he roared in pain. His body began to glow and fade as he shrank down and returned to his human form. Rei slowly got up, and Ryu ran over to help him.

"Rei! Are you alright? Are you hurt?" Ryu asked him.

"Only my pride..." Rei responded.

"Happy now, you freak tiger?" Mikba asked him. "This is what your power is for... to do what your friends have done... to get rid of those in your way... Too bad, but the people you were looking for, Balio and Sunder, were already killed by that kid there." He pointed to Ryu, coughed up some blood, and fell back on the ground. He was dead.

* * *

Moments later, Rei's wounds recovered, and Ryu and the others told him everything that had happened since they were separated as kids. About the Brood, the Contest of Champions, Balio and Sunder's deaths, and their journey to the eastern lands.

"The Power of the Brood...?" Rei asked. "You're saying... you used it on Balio and Sunder to avenge us... right, Ryu?" Ryu was silent. "What have I been doing this whole time, then? Does it mean anything, Ryu? Even now, without your help, I probably would've died for sure this time..."

"That's what friends are for, Rei," Ryu said. Rei turned around and faced him.

"What do you say, Ryu?"

"Hmm?"

"Why don't you and I get them...? Go get those fools in McNeil village that let them do that to us? With your power and mine combined, we could kill them all..."

"What!? Have you totally lost it, Rei!?"

"Hold it!" Nina said. "In the name of Wyndia, I won't allow you to get away with that!" Rei just looked at how serious she was reacting, and started to laugh.

"I was just kidding..." he said. "Ever since Ryu beat me at Ogre Road... I realized that I wouldn't be able to settle the score..." He shook his head. "I thought that if I used my power, and changed into a tiger, I'd be stronger than anything else. But in the end, I wasn't even able to control my own power... All I did was just run around attacking things..."

"But hurting people is not true power," Garr spoke up, "is it? If that was all the power of the Brood was based upon... I would have had no hesitation in exterminating them all."

"The Brood fought a war, and almost destroyed the world... isn't that the power that Mikba was talking about?"

"Probably... the same power of death and destruction, only on a scale far beyond yours or his..."

"How many times do I have to say it!?" Nina shouted at Garr. "Ryu's not going to destroy the world or anything! He's a kind and caring person, he would never do anything of the sort!"

"Why is there such power... such dangerous power... that exists in our world?" Rei asked Garr.

"Now that the Brood have been destroyed..." Garr answered, "the only one who can answer your question would be our God."

"So that's why you want to meet God? You don't joke around, do you?" Rei put his hands behind his head and looked up into the sky. "Heh, I've got a few questions of my own. Like, why do people like Mikba and me have our powers?"

"So that means you'll come with us?" Ryu asked him. Rei walked over to him and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Let's just say that from this moment on, we'll both make sure we don't get split up ever again." Ryu looked at his old friend and smiled. "Now come on, we've got a God to find, don't we?" They all nodded and left the checkpoint behind them.

* * *


	19. Problems at the Plant, Again?

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Problems at the Plant, Again?**

Ryu, Nina, Garr, and Rei had gotten to Eygnock Road, the road that connects Wyndia to the Yrrall region and the southern desert, when Nina stopped.

"You need to use the bridge to get to the eastern lands, right?" she asked the others.

"Yeah, it shouldn't be a problem," Ryu said, "should it?"

"But this time... I don't think Daddy... I mean, the King will let me go with you this time... He thinks it's your fault that I ran off last time, Ryu."

"What? Why my fault? Wasn't it you that wanted to leave?"

"I know! I tried to tell him that, but he wouldn't hear any of it!"

"Great, now I'm a kidnapper instead of a con artist..."

"What'll we do now?" Rei asked.

"Don't worry!" Nina said. "I have a plan! Ryu, you broke up the black market mafia, right? All you need is one more feather in your cap and even he will have to admit that you're a real hero!"

"Perhaps," said Garr, "but what other great deed can Ryu do to impress the king?"

"Remember the plant, where they grow the vegetables using chrysm? It looks like there's something funny going on there. I've been thinking we need to check it out, so... why don't you help me? I'm sure the king will forgive you if you help me solve this problem, right?"

"Well," Ryu said, "it's worth a shot!"

"Really!? Great! Let's go then! The plant's down the road to the east, and Momo will be there, too, oh, and Peco!" They all continued down the road, and Rei ran up next to Ryu.

"So, Ryu..." Rei said to him quietly, "Doing a favor for the lovely lady?"

"What are you talking about?" Ryu asked him.

"You know! You... her... are you two, you know...?"

"What!? O-of course not! What made you think something like that all of a sudden?"

"Oh, I don't know... probably the fact that you've been staring at her the whole time since we left the western checkpoint."

"Well, I uh, that is, she..." Ryu started to blush. "I just find her very... attractive now, that's all..."

"Is that all? Are you sure it isn't something else...?"

"What is this, an interrogation? Just, drop it, okay?"

"All right, crabby... have it your way." Rei just put his hands behind his head as Ryu tried to cover up his embarassment. "Well anyway, I've noticed that you've really changed since we first met on Mt. Glaus, Ryu."

"Really? I don't know, maybe it's because of recent developments. First, I find out I'm not human, then I find out I'm part of an ancient race that supposedly 'almost destroyed the world', and on top of that, I'm travelling around with the man who tried to kill me as a kid. Don't you think that would enough to change someone's view on themselves and on the world?"

"Yeah, I suppose you got me there."

"I still can't believe you're still alive after all these years, Rei. I only wish we could've found Teepo, too..."

"Teepo... I don't know, Ryu. He wasn't special like the two of us, with our powers to help keep us alive. I'm probably not right in saying this, but with all due honesty, I think that he's..."

"..." They were both silent for the rest of the way.

* * *

When they arrived at the plant, the scientists were moving around the area, performing their usual duties. Near one of the chrysm reactors, Momo was busy at work, making adjustments to the machine. Honey was running around one of the open fields. When she saw Ryu and the others, she ran over to Momo and began to tug on her tunic.

"This reactor doesn't have enough pressure," Momo said to herself. "If we don't get the valve turned up soon... Not now, Honey, I'm busy." She tried to shoo her away, as Ryu and the others quietly waited behind her. Honey pulled on her tunic again. "What is it, Honey?" Honey pointed behind her, and she turned around to see Ryu, Nina, Garr, and Rei. "Huh? Oh, the parts I asked for... Just put them down over there."

"Hello?" Ryu said. "It's us, Momo, not the delivery service."

"Oh, it's only you, Ryu..." she went back to work, stopped, and looked back at Ryu. "Ryu!? Is that you?"

"Who were you expecting?" Momo's ears pointed straight up.

"Ryu! It is you! I'm so glad that you're alive! It's been so long, and look at how big you've gotten!"

"Heh, she sounds like a relative that you never visit," Rei whispered to him.

"I thought you had died in Angel Tower! We all did!"

"It's a long story, Momo," said Ryu. " Come inside with us, and we can tell you everything." They all headed into one of the dormitories at the plant, and told her about the events that had transpired in Angel Tower, up to now.

* * *

"So..." Momo said, "Garr tried to kill Ryu because he thought he was an evil dragon, but you don't know for sure if the Brood are really evil or not, so you're going to meet God to ask...?"

"That's pretty much it in a nutshell," Nina said.

"I don't really know anything about the Brood... All I really understand are machines. Sorry, I can't help you there."

"Um, Momo? What about the plant? What's wrong with it?"

"Oh, yeah! Listen! The director, Palet, is missing... and the plant's falling apart at the seams..."

"What do you mean, 'falling apart at the seams'?" Garr asked.

"Let's just say that bad crops are the least of our worries! If we don't do something soon, something awful could happen. Mutants appearing, a chrysm reactor overload, just about anything could happen. The only one who really knows what's happening is Palet, and he's gone."

"Well then," said Nina, "we just have to find him and ask him what to do!"

"Right, let's go!" Momo knelt down to the ground. "Come on, Honey, time to go!" Honey ran up to her palm, and Momo put her on her shoulder.

"By the way..." Ryu said. "Where's Peco? We haven't seen him here..."

"He's probably by the grove just south of here, a grove with a giant tree called Yggdrasil. Lately, Peco has been spending a lot of time there in front of that old tree."

"Let's go pick him up, and start looking for Palet." They all then headed out of the plant to go to the grove of Yggdrasil.

"Hey, Ryu," Rei whispered to him. "I'm sorry if I keep bothering you with questions, but... who is that airhead?"

"That's just Momo," Ryu whispered back. "She's an engineer. She says her father was one of the greatest scientific minds in the world, and the one who created the reactors for the plant."

"Okay, but then, who is this Peco person?"

"Peco's not a person, Rei--he's an onion."

"What!? You're kidding, right? We're going to a grove just to go pick up an onion?"

"He's not just any ordinary onion. He can move around and talk. Well, sort of talk... he just makes these weird sounds..."

"What are you two always talking about, over there?" Nina asked.

"Uh, nothing! Nothing important!" Rei went back to minding his own business. Then Momo went over to Ryu.

"Ryu, who's the oversized cat?" Momo asked him.

"I'm not an oversized cat!" Rei overheard her. "I have a name you know, and if you want to know, it's Rei!"

"I'm sorry, you sure fooled me with that big tail and those clawed feet!"

"Oh yeah? Well after looking at those ears, I could've sworn that you were a giant rabbit!"

"All right, you two, calm down," Ryu said, caught in the middle. 'Something tells me,' he thought to himself, 'that things are going to get a little more interesting now that we're all together...'

* * *

When they arrived at the grove, they saw Peco standing in front of the giant tree Yggdrasil. Yggdrasil... a tree that is said to be the embodiment of an ancient sage that taught the world the true meaning of wisdom. Enshrouded in green, awing all who view its majesty... It has been a symbol of faith to all as the holy guardian of the forest for untold ages. Momo then stepped in front of the others and approached Peco.

"This is it," Momo said. "This is the place Peco likes to hang out at." Just then, Nina started to look around.

"Huh...?" she said. "...Peco? That's funny, for a second there, I thought I heard someone's voice..."

"Really?" Ryu asked. "So did I..."

"Me too," Rei added.

"I heard something as well," said Garr.

"I didn't hear anything," Momo said. "You must all be imagining things." She then walked up to Peco and squatted down next to him. Peco turned around and looked at them.

"Pukyu," he cooed.

"Did you just say something, Peco? The others said they heard you speak..." Peco looked at her, confused.

"Pukyu?" he cocked his head.

"I can understand him about as much as I understand a tree or a flower... and they don't talk!" She then patted Peco on the head. "Anyway, come on, Peco! We're going to go check out the plant where you were born!"

"Pukyu," he cooed again, and jumped off towards the plant.

"He sure looks like he's in a rush about something," Rei said.

"Come on, we should get back there, too," Ryu said. They all then headed after Peco, back to the plant.

* * *

When they came back, everyone was leaving. The workers left their tools and notes behind as they started clearing out. As one of the workers ran for the exit, he was stopped by Garr.

"What's the rush?" Garr asked him. "Why is everyone leaving?"

"This place is becoming too dangerous," the worker said. "The reactors have all broken down, and chrysm gas is leaking out everywhere. If we stay here, we'll all get poisoned by the gas! Out of the way!" The worker then ran around Garr and raced off.

"Oh no... Looks like that 'anything' I told you about is starting to happen..." Momo said. Just then, they heard Peco squealing. They looked to see him jumping up and down in front of the furnace for the reactors, green smoke billowing out of the smokestacks.

"Something tells me," Rei said, "that isn't supposed to be happening, is it?"

"It looks like Peco already knows where the source of the problem is. Let's check out the furnace." They opened the door, and Peco ran right inside. They looked inside, and saw him kicking the door to the actual furnace itself.

"What's wrong, Peco?" Nina asked him. She opened the furnace door, and looked inside. There was nothing burning inside. Instead, there was a whole other room inside!

"I've never seen this before," Momo said as they all crawled into the fake furnace. There was a ladder in the small room. "Let's go down and see what's inside." One by one, they hopped down the chute and climbed down the ladder.

* * *

Inside, there was a large laboratory, with very complex machines. "Would you look at all this! Hey, Ryu, what do you think this place is for?"

"Beats me," said Ryu. "You're the machine person. You said so yourself."

"Is it part of the plant?" Nina asked. "Is this where director Palet disappeared to?"

"Only one way to answer both those questions," Garr said. "Take a look around."

"This place is so advanced in technology compared to the plant," said Momo. "I wonder if the director built this place all by himself... or if there was another engineer...?" She backtracked to the last word she just said. "Engineer? Wait a minute! ...Oh, never mind." Peco began to run across the room towards a large metal door. It slid open, and he headed right in.

"I think our best course of action," said Garr, "is to follow Peco." They all agreed, and gave chase. When they got inside, there were some computers sitting on some desks. They looked like they were still functioning.

"Oh! I know what this is!" Momo said. "This is a relic from the Techno Age!" She began to examine the computer closely. "It looks like someone's been using this recently..." She saw a cable leading out of the computer, and towards a door on the other side of the room. "Hmmm... this must be some sort of key... These machines use a password to lock the doors electronically. Usually the password is something easy to remember, like a friend's name or something..." She began to type on the keyboard. "Something like... P a l e t or something... or maybe even... R e p s o l..." After typed out the word Repsol on the computer, it began to make a buzzing sound, scanning its hard drive. Suddenly, a word document opened up on the display.

"What's that?" Ryu asked Momo.

"It looks like some sort of journal entry. Let's take a look."

* * *

_Repsol's Journal, Month X, Day O_

_This is nothing but a huge mistake. Project AA was never meant to be. I curse myself for ever starting it in the first place. I must not let anyone find out about this abomination... not even my daughter. My assistant Palet and myself are going to shut down this facility. Unfortunately, I may not live to see the job finished..._

* * *

"...This place... was made by my father? What could he have done in here that made him so ashamed that even he wouldn't want to tell me?" Momo shook her head.

"I wonder what this Project AA is..." Rei said. Just then, the door that the computer was hooked up to slid open. "Guess we'll find out soon enough." They slowly approached the door, and took a look inside. They had found Palet, making adjustments to a large machine, not noticing their prescence.

"Hee hee hee..." he mumbled to himself. "Soon, mother, soon... I'll be able to revive you soon... With the power of the chrysm reactors and the elixir I made from the sap of Yggdrasil, I will bring you back to life!" He walked over to a lever next to the machine and pulled it. The machine began to hum loudly. "I've tried hundreds of experiments to perfect this process! After all, we can't have you coming back as some horrible mutant, now can we? Hee hee hee, don't worry, mother... I'm going to make sure you don't come back looking like some ugly onion or something like that..." He then noticed Momo and the others standing at the door. "What! Who's there...!? Momo!?"

"We finally found you, Mr. Director..." Momo said. "So, you want to tell us what's going on here? What is this place? Why did you abandon the plant like that?"

"Wh, what do you mean, Momo? I...I've been working on a new strain of enhanced crops..."

"That's not what we heard, liar!" Ryu said. "We heard every word. We heard you talking about bringing your mother back from the dead!"

"Wh...wh...what? I...I...I'm just... my m-m-m-mother..."

"Your experiments..." Momo said. "They're responsible for all the strange things happening at the plant, aren't they? Your experiments to bring your dead mother back to life!" Palet started to lose his temper, and began to shake his fists, pointing at them.

"Shut up!" he shouted at them. "What do you know! Why is it right to use chrysm to create new life with the enhanced crops, but not to give new life to my mother!?" Momo was about to reply, but he interrupted her. "Besides, it was your father Repsol who put this machinery together in the first place!"

"What?" Momo couldn't believe her ears.

"Your father... he was the one who went to Yggdrasil and got the sap... and put it in the machine... hoping to bring his dead wife back to life! It was a great discovery! We were able to use the essence of that good-for-nothing tree Yggdrasil with chrysm to give new life!" Palet then stopped shaking his fists. "And yet... and yet that fool, Repsol..."

"...said it goes completely against the laws of nature," said Garr. "That's why he ceased the experiment and wanted to shut this place down, is that correct?"

"Exactly! He said that it was wrong... and stopped the entire project! He entrusted me with disassembling this lab after he passed away, but I couldn't do that! Why!? What's wrong about it!? Everyone who's lost a loved one wished they could come back!" Palet pulled out a beaker full of a bright yellow goo. "I won't quit now! I can't! Who cares what the tree says! Unnatural!? What's unnatural about the resources we've been given!?"

"What are you doing with that, Director Palet?" Nina asked.

"Hee hee hee... you see this? This is what Repsol and I extracted from Yggdrasil so many years ago... the essence of consciousness itself!" He took the beaker to his mouth, and began to drink the sap as it gurgled down his throat. "I'll now transform... I'll be able to protect my mother from anyone who would harm us... like you!" Suddenly, he began to clutch his sides, and his head began to swell up. Small appendages began to protrude from his body, and his arms and legs began to dig themselves into the ground. His head continued to grow larger and larger as fangs grew out of his mouth. His eyes glared green, and his brain became exposed. When the transformation was complete, he was a giant mutated mushroom. "Bwah-ha-ha-ha-ha!" he bellowed as gas began to pour out of his mouth. Garr pulled out his spear and began to twirl it around like a giant fan blade, blowing the gas away from them.

"Okay," said Ryu, "time to bring you do--" Just then, Peco jumped in front of him. "Peco?" A multicolored aura then began to appear around Peco.

"What's with him?" Rei asked.

"PUKWIIIIII!" Peco squealed as his body began to grow. Arms sprouted out of his sides, and his legs became longer. His overall size increased, too, until he was the size of the mutated Palet.

"Peco's...transformed, too?" Momo looked on in amazement. Peco pulled back his massive fist and started bash the giant brain of the mushroom, until dozens of roots began to break out from under the ground, and wrapped themselves around his legs. They pulled him to the ground, and then started slamming him around the room.

"Peco!" Ryu cried as he headed towards them.

"Ryu!" Garr said, coming to assist him.

"Don't worry, little onion man, we'll save you!" Rei shouted, also ready to give assistance. Ryu, Garr, and Rei pulled out their weapons, and started to hack the roots apart, freeing Peco. He scrambled back to his feet and beat his chest. Ryu, Garr, and Rei ran around the giant mushroom, slicing off the roots that attached it to the ground. Peco then grabbed its brain by the gap between the hemispheres, and began to pull. With a loud ripping sound, the mushroom was torn apart. It groaned in pain as its remains slowly evaporated in Peco's hands. Peco then shrank back down to his original shape and form.

"Wow, that was pretty impressive, Peco!" Ryu said.

"I didn't think he was able to fight at all," said Garr. Nina ran over to Peco and hugged him.

"You did it, Peco!" Nina said. Momo didn't say anything, as she was too busy staring at the still-functioning machine.

"...So many times, I've asked myself..." Momo said. "...What would it have been like if my father had lived...?" She approached the lever and turned to the others. "But... I don't know... somehow I feel relieved just hearing that he wasn't able to finish the experiment. You know... Palet's mother can't be happy, being hooked up to this machine. I say we should let her rest in peace, how about you?" She put her hand on the lever.

"I say go for it," Rei said.

"It's only right," said Garr.

"Do the honors, Momo," Ryu said. Momo looked at them all and smiled. She pulled the lever, and the humming of the machine faded away.

"That's that," Momo said. "Without the director, or the chrysm reactors functioning, the plant is shut down for good. Let's go, there's nothing left for us here." They all headed back for the exit and left the plant.

* * *

That night, they set up camp on the outskirts of Wyndia. As Peco was sleeping in the tent, Momo continued to observe him, jotting down notes in her book, until Nina came in and approached her.

"...Momo?" Nina said, trying to get her attention.

"Huh? What?" Momo asked.

"Thank you for your help, Momo... Thanks to you, we were able to take care of the problem at the plant."

"Oh, that? Well, it looks like my father was involved with the plant, so I would've had to do something about it sooner or later. My father... he repaired that machine, and he wanted to bring my dead mother back to life... but he quitted and decided to work on the enhanced crops..."

"I wonder... Why did your father quit his experiments?"

"I think it's because he realized... that there's nothing more unnatural, more wrong than trying to bring the dead back to life. He loved machines... and he didn't know much about anything else... but he wasn't stupid!"

"Well... anyway, thank you. Now Ryu can receive the king's forgiveness and travel to the eastern lands..." Nina was about to leave, until Momo stopped her.

"I've been thinking... I'll probably go east with Ryu and the others... There's no point in me staying at the plant..." She began to wiggle her ears excitedly. "...and I still want to see what kind of ship they have in Rhapala!" Nina smiled at her, and then headed back out the tent.

* * *


	20. Dilemma in Castle Wyndia

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Dilemma in Castle Wyndia**

The next morning, Ryu, Nina, Garr, Rei, Momo, and Peco were at the outskirts of Wyndia as they packed their camping gear back up.

"Well now," said Nina, "we made it to Wyndia." She then turned to Rei. "Rei, you come with me to the castle."

"Huh!?" Rei said. "What do you mean, princess!?"

"I think I told you before... Everyone thinks that Ryu kidnapped me from the castle before..." Rei looked at Ryu, who simply shrugged at him. "We'll get the king's permission, just wait for us out here, okay, Ryu?"

"Sure, whatever you say," Ryu said and sighed.

"Uh, one more thing," said Rei. "Why does it have to be me that goes with you? Why not Garr, Momo, or, heck, even Peco?"

"Because," Nina said, "the king has already met them, and he thinks that they are just as guilty as Ryu. You're the only one here who he's never seen before..."

"All right then, princess... shall we go?" Nina took his hand, and they both headed towards the castle.

"...What's the matter, Ryu?" Garr asked him.

"What?" Ryu asked back.

"You have this upset look on your face..." Garr looked at Ryu, who seemed to be upset about something, looking at Rei and Nina walk off.

"Ryu, you're not... jealous, are you?" Momo asked teasingly.

"Jealous!?" Ryu said. "Jealous of what!?"

"You know... Nina taking Rei by the hand like that..."

"Of course not! What made you think that!?" Ryu crossed his arms, not wanting to say anything else. Momo went over to Garr and whispered to him.

"Yep, he's jealous."

"Indeed," Garr muttered back.

* * *

Later, when Nina and Rei arrived at the castle gates, and the gatekeeper approached them.

"Princess Nina! Welcome home!" the guard greeted her, and opened the gate. "I heard that you've been to the plant... the King is waiting for your report... Go right on through!" She nodded, and they both headed in.

* * *

Inside, the king was sitting at his throne as Nina and Rei approached him. Nina stepped ahead and knelt down in front of the king, and told him of her investigations of the black market mafia and the plant.

"...And what of the plant?" the king asked his daughter.

"Well..." Nina then told him of Palet's experiments, and the harmful side effects they would've had.

"Hmm... so you believe the enhanced crops are dangerous, then? Perhaps we will have to shut the plant down... Thank you, Nina. Excellent job!"

"I didn't do it by myself..." She got back up. "I was only able to complete my mission with the help of Rei..." They looked at Rei, who then immediately kneeled to the king.

"You may rise, Master Rei," the king said. Rei got back up on his feet. "Thank you for your assistance. If what I heard is correct, you wish to travel to the eastern lands, yes?" Rei quietly nodded. "We will have a passport prepared... In the meantime, please enjoy our hospitality!"

"Master Rei," Nina said, "this way please... I'll give you a tour of the castle." They both left the throne room as Nina started to show Rei around.

* * *

When they got to the basement, Nina stopped. "This is the basement. The kitchen is to the right, and the dungeon is to the left. Speaking of the dungeon, Ryu was put in there once, when he was a kid." Just then, a small robot came up from behind them.

"Hey, look," Rei said. "Someone's following us..." Nina turned around to see Honey.

"Honey!? Did you follow us again?" Rei scratched his head, confused. Nina turned back around to Rei. "Honey followed me here once before... She tried running away from me, and we both ended up falling off a balcony!"

"Well, I guess even she's got things she's afraid of, right? Like balconies, maybe?" Nina bent down and picked up Honey, and they both continued the tour.

* * *

They headed upstairs, to the king's and queen's chambers. The queen was sitting in her chair, holding a small fan, with two maids tending to her. The queen had been ill from grief since Nina was kidnapped by Balio and Sunder ten years ago, and has made a steady recovery over the years.

"I'd like to introduce you to my mother, the queen," Nina said as they approached her.

"Nina..." the queen said, "you've returned..."

"Yes... I'm home."

"I've heard about how well you've done... It pleases me greatly, but... You belong to Wyndia... and you belong to me..."

"Mother..."

"I'm saying this for your own good. I won't tolerate anymore foolish, rash behavior... Understand?"

"Yes, mother, I understand..."

"Is this the man who helped you?" the queen asked, looking at Rei. "I hear you helped Princess Nina... I thank you for your trouble."

"It was no trouble," Rei said.

"The preparations for your passport should be ready," said Nina. "Let's head to the banquet hall." They both headed back downstairs.

* * *

In the banquet hall, Nina, Rei, and the King and Queen of Wyndia all sat at the table. One of the servants approached Rei and handed him his new passport.

"Here is your passport, Master Rei," the servant said. Rei humbly took it.

"My apologies for the delay, Master Rei," the king said. "Now that that's been taken care of, please, relax and enjoy yourself."

"Father," Nina said, "have you forgotten? Master Rei is on pressing business and has no time. It would be wrong of us to keep him from his business." Rei didn't say anything. "I will escort him to the gate."

"Thank you," Rei finally spoke, "uh, Your Tall, uh, Highness... I'll be taking off... uh, taking my leave of you, now..."

"Very well, then," said the king. "Have a safe journey!" Just as Nina and Rei headed for the exit, a guard ran past them, took a quick glance at Rei, and recognized him. He then ran off towards the king.

"What's the rush for?" Rei asked Nina. "I never pass up a free meal!" Nina shook her head.

"You'd better hurry," she said, "before everyone finds out about Ryu and the others. I don't think I can go with you this time, but please tell Ryu that--"

"Stop!" came the voice of the queen. They both turned around, and saw the guard from before moving away from the queen and whispering to the king. The queen got up from her chair, and called the guards to her side, smacking her fan in her palm. "Rei... or whoever you are... You're one of that villain Ryu's friends, are you not!?" The king then got up from his seat.

"What!?" the king was shocked. "Is this true!?"

"There can be no doubt, Your Highness!" the guard said. "I saw him talking with the same people who were here all those years ago!" Nina ran back to the table.

"Father!" she said. "I can explain! I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything right away... but Ryu isn't a bad person!" The queen shook her head.

"You are being tricked," the queen said, "...lied to! By these con men! These hoodlums!"

"Ryu is not a hoodlum or a con man! He's a strong, noble man with a purpose..."

"You know nothing!" The queen tightened her grip on her fan. "I don't know or care what they are! They are not people you should be calling friends!"

"No, it's you who doesn't understand, Mother!" Nina began to raise her voice. "About the Brood! About the criminals in Syn City! About the remnants of the Techno Age! Do you have any idea what's outside your castle, Mother!?"

"Hey, take it easy," Rei said, coming up from behind Nina. "All baby birds leave the nest someday... am I wrong?"

"How... dare you!?" the queen said to Rei.

"Look... I'm just like you said, a crook, a thief... but Ryu is different. Ryu is the kind of guy who can... no, will change the world. I'm not surprised that you're worried about him..." The king looked at the guards, who were just standing there doing nothing.

"What are you doing!?" the king yelled at them. "Arrest him!" The guards saluted, and began to approach Rei.

"Time to leave!" Nina nodded, and they both raced out of the banquet hall and made a break for the exit.

* * *

When they got to the throne room, a squad of soldiers was blocking off the exit. Suddenly, Honey jumped out of Nina's pocket and headed off towards the basement.

"Rei!" Nina cried. "There goes Honey!" They both turned to see her run down the stairs. "I followed Honey before, and she led me out of the castle!" Rei caught on to what she was saying, and they both ran after the little robot.

"What's she gonna do?" Rei asked. "Jump off the balcony again!?"

"It was okay, then, but we're underground now." They saw Honey head down another flight of stairs that led to the kitchen. "Come on, let's go after her!" They both headed down the stairs, followed by a squad of royal guards and the queen. They ran past the surprised chefs, knocking over pots and pans as they went down yet another staircase. "This leads to the wine cellar," Nina said.

"I don't get it, this is a dead-end, isn't it?"

"It looks like that, but something tells me, we'll find a way out somehow." They continued to follow Honey, who then hopped down a ladder chute into the deepest part of the castle. Rei and Nina climbed down the ladder and into a small room with a large metal door, securely locked with a large padlock. Honey kept running into the door, trying to get past. A soldier that was guarding the door was surprised.

"Wh whoa!" he said. "What the heck is this!?"

"It... it's not anything dangerous," Nina said to him. Rei went up to the door, and probed inside the padlock. It opened as Rei pushed the door open and Honey ran right in. Rei peeked in, and saw a large altar-like object, with a big round pad in the middle of it. Honey hopped on top of a nearby console and began to make a strange sound.

"1001010101110 100001011," Honey said through a barely understandable voice. She began to glow white, and the console made a beeping sound.

"Navigator Code, Accepted," a voice came from the console. "Activating Portal Drive." A beam of light shot out of the pad on the altar, and Honey walked into it, disappearing in a flash.

"...She disappeared!" Rei said. "Are we supposed to get away with this contraption?" Just then, she heard Nina's voice from the other room.

"Rei!" she cried out. He ran back into the small room, and saw a squad of soldiers blocking off the ladder, with the queen standing right behind them.

"Nina! I think we can make it out of here," Rei said, pulling out his knives to intimidate the guards. Nina motioned for him to put his weapons away, and then turned to her mother.

"Mother, I'm sorry..." she said. "But I have to..."

"Don't talk to me like that, young lady!" the queen snapped back at her. "You are the princess and the heir to the throne! Do you think you can just disobey your duty and your family like this!?" Nina shook her head.

"I love you, mother. I understand how important I am and that I'm a princess... but I'm not just a princess! I'm also Nina! And I have to do what I think is right!" She and Rei ran back into the other room as the queen and guards stood, surprised. They both ran onto the pad on the altar, and disappeared in the same flash as Honey. One of the guards ran in and saw them vanish right in front of his face.

"Huhhhhh?" the guard said, rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

* * *

When Rei and Nina reappeared, they were in a room completely identical to the one in the castle, except there was a ladder leading up out of the room. Honey was standing by the ladder, waiting for them to come.

"What was that just now?" Nina asked Rei. "Where are we?" Rei went over to Honey and bent down in front of her.

"Hey, Honey," Rei said. "What the heck have you done?" The robot just looked at him, confused. Nina then went over and picked her up.

"Let's get out of here, and take a look around," she said. Rei nodded, and they both climbed the ladder to the outside. They were surrounded by walls on three sides, and when they looked up, they saw the flags of the castle waving behind them. "We're all the way outside the castle!" she said.

"No time to waste, then," Rei said, looking at the setting sun. "We should head back to Ryu and the others before they decide to go on a manhunt for us." They both headed down the only path in front of them, and set out for the eastern checkpoint.

* * *

That night, they had finally reached the place where Ryu, Garr, Momo, and Peco had set up camp for the night, and explained to them what happened at the castle as they all sat around the campfire.

"...and that's what happened," Nina said.

"Sounds like you two had fun running from the guards," Ryu said.

"Well," Rei said, "I guess this means that means we can't be expecting any help from the King of Wyndia anytime soon..." Nina bowed her head.

"I'm sorry..." she said. "I don't know what I was thinking..." Ryu wanted to say something to make her feel better, but didn't know what to say.

"...You shouldn't worry about it," Garr said. "More importantly, we should get to the bridge before the King's men do..." They all got up, and headed back into the tent, except for Ryu, Rei, and Nina.

"Nina," Rei said. "You said you wanted me to tell Ryu something before we left the castle...?"

"Oh, that?" Nina asked. "...Never mind."

"All right, then, princess." Rei headed into the tent himself. Ryu got up, and went over to sit next to Nina.

"What was that about?" Ryu asked her.

"...It was nothing," Nina replied. "Nothing important..."

"Are you sure you don't want to talk about it?" Ryu was quiet, waiting to see if she would say anything else.

"We should head in. It's getting late." They both got up and slowly headed into the tent. Just before they got in, though, Nina stopped. "Ryu...?"

"What?" Ryu asked her.

"...Good night." She went up to him, kissed him on the cheek, and then went inside the tent. Ryu stood there, blushing, putting his hand to the spot where she kissed him. He smiled, and then went in the tent after her.

* * *


	21. Confessions of Love

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Confessions of Love**

The next morning, Ryu and the others arrived at the eastern checkpoint. The guards stopped them before they could get on the bridge.

"Excuse me," the guard said, "your passport please." Ryu showed them the passport and the guard waved them through. As Nina passed by, though, the guard stopped them again. "Excuse me, who is...?"

"Ahem..." Garr looked at the guard.

"...Oh, it's you again... G-go right ahead, s-sir... Your daughter's l-l-looking as l-lovely as ever..." The guard was still shaken up from the last time he questioned Garr. Garr just smiled and they all went on their way.

"What was that about?" Rei whispered to Ryu.

"Don't ask," Ryu muttered back.

* * *

When they arrived in Rhapala, nothing had changed since they first arrived, except that everybody looked less busy. Ryu and the others went to the docks. The boat was still missing, but at one of the docks, Shadis was playing with a little baby.

"This way, this way!" Shadis said to the baby, who was trying to get up and walk.

"Hey, Shadis!" Ryu called out to her as they approached her.

"...? It's Ryu, isn't it!?" As she looked away from the baby, it fell on its bottom. Shadis turned around imediately to check on it, but didn't seem to care about its fall, and tried to get back up. "What can I do for you?"

"We were wondering if the ship has come back yet..."

"I'm sorry. I haven't done any Guild work since I had the baby... If it's Guild business, you'll have to talk to Beyd."

"Where is he now?" Nina asked.

"He's over at the other port talking to the Machinists' Guild about the ship. The good news is that we cleared up all the lava from the road going around Mt. Zublo, so now you can go on without having to wait."

"Really? That's great!"

"Please, won't you rest here for the night before you head off so soon?"

"Well... I suppose it wouldn't hurt..." said Ryu.

"Good! I'll let the innkeeper know you're coming. Please enjoy your stay here!"

"By the way, does the baby have a name yet?"

"No, not yet... Zig came by and suggested we named him after him, but of course, that's out of the question."

"We'll be heading to the inn now. It was good to see you again, Shadis!" They waved goodbye as they headed towards the inn.

* * *

When they got there, the innkeeper gave them two rooms; Nina and Momo, got one, while Ryu, Garr, Rei, and Peco got the other. In the girls' room, Nina and Momo both sat on their beds. 

"It's been a while since I've slept on a real bed," said Momo. "The ones at the plant were hard as rocks." She looked at Nina, who seemed to be lost in thought. "Nina, is there something wrong?"

"Mmm, not really... Momo, can I ask you a question?"

* * *

"...What kind of a question?" Rei asked Ryu in the other room. 

"This may seem kind of stupid, but... have you ever really liked someone, but whenever you want to tell them that, you just freeze up?"

"Hmm, I wouldn't know, seeing that I've never had time to go out and meet someone... but if I did, I probably would..."

* * *

"...Why do you want to know?" Momo asked Nina. 

"I was just wondering... Let's say that there's this person, not that it's me! And this person wanted to tell this other person that they really like them, but wants to say it in a way to express their full feelings for the other person..."

"You aren't very good at hiding it, Nina. Admit it..."

* * *

"You're in love with the princess, aren't you?" Rei asked. 

"Was it really that obvious?" Ryu asked back. "Yes, it's true. I love Nina. But for some reason, I just can't seem to find the right time to tell her, and whenever I do, the words just won't come out right..."

"Listen, Ryu... I may not be the perfect romancer, but it doesn't take a genius to tell you that all you have to do is have some time with her alone, and then just give it to her straight."

"...but what if she doesn't feel the exact same way as I do?"

* * *

"What!? Are you kidding?" Momo said. "Have you seen the way that he looks at you? And whenever someone comes into the room after leaving you two alone, he turns away and starts to turn red? I'm absolutely positive that he likes you just as much, if not, more." 

"Are you really so sure...?"

"...Tell you what... I'm going to help you. I'm going to get you two together and confess your feelings for eachother... tonight!"

* * *

"Tonight!?" Ryu said. "That's a little sudden, don't you think?" 

"Of course not!" said Rei. "It would be the perfect time. Everyone will be asleep, and you two will be all alone. I'll make sure of it."

"..." Ryu looked up at Rei, and smiled. "Thanks, Rei."

"Hey, no problem. Anything for a friend. Now, this is how we'll go about doing this..."

* * *

That night, Momo and Nina went out to the docks, which were completely abandoned for the night. 

"Wait right here," Momo said. "I'll be right back with Ryu." She then left the princess alone and headed back to the inn. At that time, Rei and Ryu had just arrived at the other side of the docks.

"Just stay around this area," said Rei. "I'll bring Nina here in a couple of minutes." Rei then quietly raced off.

"...I just hope this works," Ryu said to himself.

* * *

Back at the inn, Rei was knocking at the girls' room's door. 

"Hello?" Rei asked as he continued to pound the door. "That's funny..." He turned back around, and bumped into Momo. "Whoa! Don't do that! What are you doing here?"

"What about you? Why were you knocking on our door?"

"I just needed to borrow Nina for a moment."

"What? I just took Nina out to the docks, and came here for Ryu."

"Wait a minute, I just took Ryu out to the docks, and came here for Nina... Then that means..."

"Oh boy..." they both said.

* * *

Back at the docks, Ryu was walking across the piers, kicking a small stone around. 

"What's taking him so long...?" he asked himself. He looked up, and saw someone standing by the water. When he got closer, the person turned around to face him. It was Nina. "Nina?"

"Ryu? What are you doing here?" Nina asked him.

"I... thought I'd just come out for... some fresh air, yeah, that's it..." He began to rub his head. 'Smooth move, Romeo...' he thought.

"Oh, well... so did I..."

"Really? What a coincidence, uh, I mean, surprise! Yeah, a surprise." Just then, Rei and Momo arrived, and hid behind a pile of crates.

* * *

"Come on, what's wrong with him?" Rei asked. "He should be making his move about now..." 

"Well, we should just stay here," said Momo. "If we go out there, then this will be all for nothing." They continued to watch quietly.

* * *

"Ryu...?" Nina said. "Can I tell you something?" 

"Of course!" Ryu immediately replied. "What is it?"

"I've always lived a sheltered life in the castle. I was completely oblivious to the world outside of the city walls. But, ever since I met you, Momo, Garr, Rei, and Peco... my eyes have been opened to so many new things, things I never would have known existed. I'm lucky to have met you, Ryu, otherwise... I'd still be an overprotected, naive little girl..."

"Nina... now, there's something I want to tell you."

"Oh, what would that be?"

"...Ever since I was a kid, I've always had to do everything by myself. I gathered food, I defended myself, and made a living, without anyone's help. I thought I had a good thing going... until I met you. You were always there for me, you wanted to help me, to protect me...

"Ryu..."

"...You always had faith in me, even when I had none left. You gave me the motivation to carry on. And now, you've given me the courage to say this. Nina, I... love you!" The last three words Ryu uttered echoed through the night, as if his voice would carry to the ears of everyone in the world. "I said it. What do think about---" Ryu stopped when he looked at Nina. Her eyes were wide, her hand over her mouth, and small tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Ryu... Ryu!" Nina threw herself into Ryu, wrapping her arms around him, and letting her tears run free. Ryu then put his arms around her, as the two embraced. She then looked up at him. "I love you, too..." They gazed into eachother's eyes as their faces came closer together, ready to kiss.

* * *

"Look at that," Rei said, "they're already headed for second base." 

"Nothing could ruin this moment now..." said Momo.

"What are you doing behind those crates?" came a familiar voice. Rei and Momo turned and saw Garr.

"What are you doing here?" they asked him.

"When I woke up, everyone was gone except Peco." Garr looked up, and saw Ryu and Nina. "Ryu! Nina! What are you doing out there!?" he called out to them. Just as their lips were about to touch, they both turned to see Garr, Rei, and Momo. Rei smacked his head while Momo shook hers. Ryu and Nina let go of eachother immediately, and they both turned a bright red.

"Oh yeah, smooth move, Garr..." Rei said.

"Did I... do something wrong?" he asked.

* * *

The next morning, Ryu and the others got their gear ready to leave town. As Garr, Rei, Momo, and Peco headed out the city gates, Ryu and Nina trailed behind them. 

"Nina," said Ryu, "about last night..."

"It's okay, Ryu," Nina said. "It was good while the moment lasted..." She smiled and took Ryu by the hand. "We'll always be together, until the end, right?"

Ryu smiled back. "Yes. Always. I promise." They both then quickly followed after the others.

* * *


	22. Slumbering Sorceress, Ancient Guardian

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Slumbering Sorceress, Ancient Guardian**

As Ryu and the others crossed the newly cleared up path around Mt. Zublo, Angel Tower was in their sight once more.

"There it is..." Ryu said. "I'm a little nervous, actually..."

"Well, don't be," said Garr. "We won't be going there just yet. I need to see the sage Sudama if we wish to go back there." They all then headed down the path towards the city of Urkan Tapa. Garr led the way as they entered the grand temple where the sage Sudama was busy meditating.

"This is the elder?" Rei asked. "Looks like he's asleep..."

"It may look that way," said Garr, "but he is actually in a state of deep meditation." Garr then approached the old man and knelt before him. "Sudama, I have returned..."

"Zzzzz..." Sudama snored. "...Wh, wha? Garr? Is that you? You're still with us?

"Sudama, I have come here to gain permission to enter the tower once more..."

"Very well, Guardian Garr. You have my permission. Now, it is time for you to rest..." Sudama almost immediately went back to his "meditation".

"Is he talking about you or him when he said 'rest'?" Rei asked jokingly as they left the temple.

* * *

When they had arrived at Angel Tower, the watchmen greeted Garr and the others and let them through.

"Garr, you're not going to tell us to stay behind again, are you?" Nina asked.

"No, it should be quite all right," he replied. When they got near the top of the pyramid, Garr began to walk around the area to the other side. On the other side was a set of stairs that went even higher than the door that he and Ryu went through ten years ago. When they had reached the very top of the pyramid, there was a small stone altar. Garr stepped in front of it.

"After the war," he said, "after the Brood had been annihilated, their mission complete, the Guardians offered up to God their victory here. And God appeared before the Guardians to reward each and every one of them for their sacrifices and victory over evil... When our mission was completed, we are allowed to meet our God... After meeting with God, most Guardians return their power to God and fall into a deep sleep... The Sleep of Stone. Deprived of the power given to them by God, a Guardian's body turns to stone..." He then knelt down in front of the altar. "Before I enter the Sleep of Stone... I swear, Ryu, that I will take you to meet God... and together, we will learn the truth about God's intentions!" He put his hands together and began to pray. Suddenly, Ryu could feel a strange prescence in the air, as if someone was watching them from everywhere at once.

"Ryu, what's wrong?" Nina asked, unable to feel this prescence.

"...Guardian..." came a voice that only Ryu and Garr could hear. "...God...will not appear here...God...will not...come..." Garr ended his prayer and got back to his feet.

"Who are you!?" Garr demanded.

"What's with Garr?" Rei asked.

"Ryu and Garr are both acting very strange..." said Momo. She turned to look at Peco, who seemed to know what was happening. "Now even Peco's acting wierd." A bolt of lightning appeared in front of Ryu and Garr, and a pyramid of light appeared, containing the body of a woman.

"If you want to meet God..." the woman said, "...you must release me..."

"...Deis?" Garr asked, looking like he knew her.

"The key... you must seek... Guardian Gaist..." In a bright flash, the image disappeared.

"Deis, wait! Gaist is...!!" Garr stood in front of the altar, silent.

"Did you get to meet God, Garr?" Nina asked.

"...God is..." He shook his head. "No, before that... before we meet with God, we have to find someone... His name is Gaist... Like me, he is a... Guardian."

"A Guardian just like you?" Ryu asked to make sure he heard correctly.

"I don't know exactly what we should do, but... we should be able to find out something about Gaist if we ask at Urkan Tapa..." They all then headed back down the pyramid and back to the city.

* * *

"What is wrong, Guaridan Garr?" Sudama asked him when they came back to the temple. "Your mission is over."

Garr shook his head. "Venerable Patriarch, God did not appear at Angel Tower." This statement caught the sage's attention.

"That's because you still have doubt in your heart! You must free yourself of your doubts! Unless you wish to become like Gaist..."

"Oh Venerable One, do you know where Gaist is?" Sudama opened his eyes and looked at Garr, who started to look nervous. "Please tell me, oh Patriarch... I must meet with Gaist before I can be free of my doubts!"

"..." Sudama was silent. "...By the sea to the west... I've heard there is a village and a Guardian there who has given up fighting... but Garr... you cannot allow yourself to become like Gaist. Keep your faith! Do not doubt the wisdom of God!"

"Of course, Sudama... Thank you." Garr turned to the others. "We should set up camp before we leave.

* * *

That night, Ryu and the others set up camp. Nina, Rei, Momo, and Peco were all inside the tent sleeping, while Ryu and Garr sat outside.

"Garr..." Ryu said. "Care to tell me a little more about this Gaist we're going to meet?"

"...Gaist, as I've said, is a Guardian," said Garr. "We fought alongside eachother in the war long ago... but one day, he grew tired of all the fighting, and disappeared. Apparently, he has been living a quiet life in the shoreside village that Sudama was talking about."

"So, Gaist holds the key... but to what?" Nina asked. "Why must we see him before we can meet God?"

"I'm getting tired." Garr tried to avoid the subject as he got up. "I'm going to bed now. You should do the same." He went inside the tent, leaving Ryu alone.

"Guardian Gaist..." Ryu muttered to himself. "Will he try to kill me, too...?"

* * *

The next morning, the group traveled across the rocky southern shore, heading east towards the village that Sudama has mentioned. When they arrived, there were several huts and homes in caves carved into the rockly cliffside.

"You could hardly call this a village," Rei remarked. He looked around, and noticed nobody was outside. "Looks like nobody's home."

"Wait a second," said Ryu. He pointed to one of the caves, and saw a small stream of smoke emerging from it. "Looks like there's somebody here. Let's check it out." He headed for the small cave, followed by Garr, Nina, and the others.

Inside the cave, there were two lit torches near the opening. Further ahead was a large straw mat. Sitting on the mat was a gargoyle-like man, very similar to Garr, except much slimmer. Bandages were wrapped around his arms as he busily carves away at a piece of wood. His back was turned to Ryu and the others, but he soon realized he was being watched.

"Who's there?" the gargoyle-man asked. Garr stepped past Ryu and approached him.

"...Guardian Gaist..." Garr said.

"...Garr?" All of them sat down in a circle around the mat as Garr explained to Gaist the current situation.

"...A progeny of the Brood?" Gaist asked Garr. He glared at Ryu. "...It that him!?" Garr simply nodded.

"At God's command," he said, "we killed the Brood... I want to know if that was a mistake... and he's the key to that mystery."

"Are you still talking that nonsense? If you doubt the word of God... you should just run away... Run away like I did. What were you thinking, anyway, bringing him here like this!?"

"..." Garr couldn't answer that question.

"Do you want to help him avenge the Brood? He's only one little boy! What do you think he can do all alone?"

"He's not alone!" Nina said. "He has all of us! Me, Momo, Rei, Garr, and Peco! There's nothing that we can't handle!"

"You misunderstood me, young lady," Gaist said. "I was talking about his potential in particular."

"I..." Garr began to speak. "...just want to know the truth... Why did the Brood have to die?"

"Hah! You haven't changed a bit, have you? Asking those stupid questions of yours... Anyway, so... what does the high-and-mighty Garr want with me, eh?

"...We need you to free Deis."

"Oh, really? And why's that?"

"So we can meet with God. We need Deis' help for that."

"...Deis, eh? I suppose I'm the right one to talk to about that." Gaist closed his eyes for a moment, and opened them again. "All right... I'll help you."

"You will?" Ryu asked.

"But! Before I do... I want to have a little chat with our dragon friend here... alone." Everyone was silent. Garr got up, and nodded to everyone except Ryu. The others excluding Ryu got up as well as they headed out of the cave.

"What do you want to say to me?" Ryu asked Gaist.

"I'm sure you heard from Garr..." said Gaist, "about how we Guardians fought against the Brood. We killed countless Brood... something I feel really bad about now, but it's all over and done with. Unless of course you want to dig up all those skeletons of the past..."

"Of course I do!" Ryu sprang up. "I want to know the truth as much as Garr and everyone else does!"

"That's what I thought... that's the way the Brood always were. Even though they had such power, they didn't fight back. The world thinks that it was the Brood that started the war, but they didn't. We hunted them down and killed them. Eventually, I couldn't take it any longer, so I ran away from it all. Garr kept his faith in God and fought to the end, but I bet somewhere deep in his heart he had his doubts." Gaist then stood on his feet. "So you see... it's not that I don't understand what he's feeling, but I was never as serious as he is. I don't care about God or the truth, it's too much trouble for me to bother with, you know? That's why I'm giving you a choice."

"A... choice?" Ryu looked confused.

"Talk about it with Garr and your friends outside there. If you're really serious about finding your 'truth', if you really want to go through with this... come back here alone and tell me, okay?" Ryu nodded. "Good, now get on outta here." Ryu turned away and headed outside of the cave.

* * *

Outside, Garr and the others were patiently waiting for Ryu.

"Ryu," Garr said as he approached Ryu. "What happened?"

"Gaist said he wanted to give me a choice. If I want to go through with this, he wants me to go back inside alone."

"Hmm, so Gaist said that, eh?" Garr put a hand to his chin. "I think maybe he wants to test you Ryu."

"What?" Ryu didn't quite understand.

"How can you be so sure about that?" Rei asked.

"As long as I've known Gaist," said Garr, "he doesn't do anything until he's convinced himself that it's what has to be done. He want's to know how serious you are about this whole situation--how far do you intend to take it. What do you think, Ryu?"

"I must know the truth," Ryu confidently answered. "This isn't just for me. It's also for you, and the others that want to know. We're all on this journey for one reason: to find the absolute truth."

"Then you have nothing to worry about. Once you are prepared, you should go meet Gaist again."

"I'm ready." He faced Nina and the others. "Wish me luck." He turned around and headed back into Gaist's cave.

* * *

"Well then, have you made up your mind?" Gaist asked Ryu.

"I have," Ryu replied in the same confident tone as when he addressed Garr. "I want to know the truth."

"Heh, I thought you'd say that. I had you figured as the serious type. Well, then, shall we begin?" He pointed to the area between the two torches. "That spot... stand right between the two torches." Ryu turned around approached the spot. As he stepped between the torches, he could feel something catching in his throat.

"That's fine," said Gaist. Ryu turned around to face him again. "All right, now... This may seem old-fashioned to you, but it's the only thing I know how to do." Suddenly, small embers began to fly from the twin flames and encircle Gaist. "I need you to fight me, little dragon!"

"What!?" Ryu gasped. "You didn't say anything about a fight!" Gaist's form began to shift as he turned into an enormous red demon.

"If you hold true to your convictions," the transformed Gaist bellowed, "Then this should be no problem for you!" He roared as he swiped at Ryu with his massive claws. Ryu jumped away, then lunged at Gaist, swinging his sword. The blade carved into Gaist's chest and arms, blood spraying out of the gaping wounds.

"How's that?" Ryu asked.

"Good, but not enough to stop me!" Suddenly, more embers flew out of the flames and into Gaist's injuries. In a matter of seconds, the cuts began closing up.

"Regeneration?" Ryu was surprised. "The flames are healing him... I gotta put them out!" Ryu quickly slashed to his side, cutting the top of one of the torches as it fell to the ground, spilling ash and embers on the floor as the flame died out. "One down, one to go!"

"Not so fast!" Gaist yelled as he took a deep breath. He began to belch out a wave of flames towards Ryu.

"I didn't want to do this, but..." Ryu put away his sword and began to focus. 'It seems I don't have a choice... Let's see how much my power's improved!' As the heat wave reached Ryu, his body became enveloped in a black sphere. When the heat wave passed, the sphere was still standing as it dissipated. Underneath was a transformed Ryu. He retained his humanoid shape, but had body features similar to a dragon. His hands and feet were clawed, a large tail and pair of wings protruded from his back, and his hair had become longer.

"Hmm, a Warrior dragon... Clever, but it won't save you!" He took another breath and unleashed another heat blast. Ryu took a deep breath of his own and a blizzard began to spray forth from his mouth. The two attacks collided, nullifying eachother.

"My turn!" Ryu said in a slightly altered voice. He took his sharp claws and sliced apart the remaining torch. "Now take this!" He reared back his claw, and ice crystals began to form around the talons. He charged at Gaist, digging his frozen claw into his stomach. Gaist froze as the Ryu's cold aura seeped into every part of his body. Ryu pulled out his claw and changed back to normal. "It's over." Gaist howled as he reverted back into his original form.

"Uhh, so this is a dragon's true strength!" Gaist gasped.

"Gaist..." Ryu approached him. "Now will you release the seal on Deis?"

"Heh, you don't get it, do you? You see, the seal... that keeps Deis trapped... couldn't be released... as long as I was alive... so this was the only way..."

"What!? You mean...!" Ryu fell to his knees. "There wasn't any other way?"

"Don't feel bad... The day I became a Guardian was the day I declared myself dead. Besides, during the war, I killed so many dragons... it only seems fair that I in turn have my life taken by the Brood." Gaist smiled as he fell on his back. "Uhhh... I wonder... is this the power... that God feared?" Suddenly, Garr and the others burst into the room to see Ryu kneeling beside Gaist.

"Gaist...!?" Garr immediately rushed over to his fallen comrade.

"...Or is the real power of the Brood the ability to make friends out of enemies? It's too bad it had to be this way... I would've liked to go with you. Garr... it's all up to you now..." Gaist's body began to turn stone gray as it crumbled apart and turned into a pile of dust and ash.

"..." Garr was silent for several minutes. He then stood up. "Gaist understood... With this, Deis should be freed. We must return to Angel Tower. Let's go... meet God." They began to exit the cave one by one. Just as Garr was about to leave, he took one last glance at Gaist's ashes. "...Farewell, old friend..." He knelt down to give one final prayer to his departed friend, and then left the cave.

* * *


	23. The Path Revealed

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 23: The Path Revealed**

After a long trek back to Angel Tower, Ryu, Nina, Garr, Rei, Momo, and Peco are finally prepared to meet Deis, the one who will supposedly help them meet Garr's God.

"Deis was kept sealed in a small chamber underneath the tower," said Garr. "It should be this way." He guided the others to a small staircase that led down into the depths of the earth.

* * *

Inside the small chamber, there was a large pyramid of light, exactly like the one Ryu and Garr saw in their visions. Lying inside the pyramid was a naked woman with long blue hair. She appeared to be sleeping. 

"Oh my!" Momo said.

"Hmm, not bad," said Rei. "Right, Ryu?"

"Wh-what!?" Ryu blushed. "What are you talking about?"

"C'mon, you know..." Rei nudged Ryu with his elbow.

"I-I'm not thinking that!" Ryu turned to Nina. "You believe me, right, Nina?"

"Mm-hmm," Nina said, her voice muffled by her hands as she was covering her eyes.

"Deis..." Garr said, looking at the slumbering woman. Just then, the pyramid began to flash and spin around. Within moments, the pyramid faded away as the woman was lifted to her feet. She looked down at her body, then looked at Garr, she motioned towards him with her arm.

"Guardian..." she said, "come closer..." Garr obliged, and approached the nude woman. She immediately punched him in the stomach with one fist, then the other, and delivered an uppercut to him, knocking him flat on his back. The others were shocked by this.

"Garr?" Ryu said. "Are you---"

"You big oaf!" the woman snapped at Garr. "You bone-headed Guardian! What did you think you were doing, entombing me in this temple for 500 years! I have half the mind to blow you into a million tiny pieces right about now!" Ryu turned away from the woman, not wanting to gawk for too long. "So, I guess the fact that you've released me shows me that you're finally willing to listen to what I have to say?"

Garr got back on his feet and approached her again. "Well---" He was interrupted when she punched him in the gut again.

"Well, it's too late, moron!" She took a quick glance at Ryu. "Well, maybe not completely hopeless..."

* * *

**::Flashback::**

Garr impales another dragon with his spear. The dragon screeches as its lifeless body drops to the ground, with Gaist standing nearby.

"What have you done!?" came a voice from afar. A woman with long blue hair, and a snake-like body approached the two of them. "What do you think you're doing!? You buffoons! Idiots!"

"But," Garr said, shaking his head, "our God has told us that they are wicked and evil..."

The snake woman shook her head and shrugged. "And it never occurred to you that she might be wrong, you imbecile!? I can take you to meet your fool God!"

"Deis!" Gaist yelled, pointing at her. "Show more respect for our God--or else..." Deis shook her head as she approached the dead dragon and its child...

**::End flashback::**

* * *

The naked woman walked around Garr and stood just inches away from Ryu. He turned away as his head turned a deep red. 

"If each and every last member of the Brood had indeed been killed," the woman said, "all would have been lost. But's there's still one of the Brood left!"

"And... what of God?" Garr asked her. The woman shrugged.

"First things first, Guardian! The spirits of the dead dragons are too strong here. We need to go someplace else. There should be a shrine in the volcano to the west of here. I'll meet you there." She looked Ryu right in the eye. "The volcano to the west, got it, my little dragon?"

"Y,y,y-yy-y... Uh-huh," Ryu stuttered. The woman's body began to be covered in light as she teleported herself out of the chamber.

"The volcano to the west..." Momo said. "She must have been talking about Mt. Zublo."

"Wait just a minute!" Nina interrupted. "Why do you have such a goofy look on your face, Ryu?"

"Well, I---that is, uh..." Ryu couldn't find an excuse.

"Don't tell me you were checking her out, were you!?"

"Well, uh... what are we waiting for? She said we should go to Mt. Zublo if we want to meet God. Let's go!" Ryu immediately ran for the exit.

"Don't change the subject, Ryu!" Nina shouted. "Tell me the truth!" She looked upset as she crossed her arms.

* * *

After the group left Angel Tower, they returned to Mt. Zublo, to the small shrine they had passed several times since they first passed through the volcano. 

"I always did wonder what this place was for," said Ryu.

"Yes," Momo said. "Now that you mention it... the road was built by the Guild in Rhapala, but they never mentioned anything about building a shrine."

"Maybe they weren't the ones that built it," said Rei.

"We can think about that later," Garr said. "Right now, it is important that we meet Deis." The others nodded, and proceeded inside. The shrine was small and empty. The only thing that stood out was a large black slab on the far side of the room.

"Looks like she stood us up," Rei said, "because there's nobody home."

"That's unlikely," said Garr. "This is the place Deis said to meet her."

"Well then, where is she?" Ryu asked as he got near the tablet. He put his hand on it and wiped away some ash. "Maybe this tablet can tell us something..." As he tried to examine it, several beams of light started to shine from it. Ryu stepped back the entire tablet started glowing. In a bright flash, Ryu had disappeared.

"Ryu?" Nina looked around, but there was no sign of him. "Where's Ryu?"

* * *

Ryu found himself in a wide open room. The floor expanded for meters around him, and in front of him was a single altar. 

"What the?" Ryu looked around. "What is this place?"

"There you are, my little dragon..." came a voice all too familiar to Ryu.

'Uh oh, I know that voice...' he thought. 'Does this mean I have to see...?' He gulped. Out of the darkness, on the other side of the altar, emerged a woman that looked like the one from Angel Tower, except her appearance was different. Her hair was tied into a ponytail, she was wearing a violet robe, and the lower half of her body was like a snake's.

"Don't be frightened," she said. "This is what I really look like."

"Then, that means... You're... Deis?"

"That's right," the woman finally identified herself to him as Deis. "What's wrong? Were you expecting me to show up naked again?" Ryu looked away for a moment. Deis slithered her way to the top of the altar. "In that form, the one I was imprisoned in, I'm ableto fully utilize my powers, see..."

"W-well, I l-like you better this way!" Ryu immediately blurted out. 'The last thing I need right now is another scolding from Nina...'

"Well, thanks! You certainly know what to say to a lady, don't you? Maybe that's why your little winged friend was looking at you so strangely earlier." Just then, tiny unknown particles began to gather around in one spot, until Garr materialized from those particles.

"There you are," said Garr.

"So," said Deis, "now that you're all here..."

"Is this... where we'll meet God?" Deis shook her head and waved her finger and Garr.

"No, silly... I'm going to tell you how to get there from here!" Garr's eyes widened. "Before I was imprisoned, I would have been able to take you there myself, but I don't enough strength left to do it now." Deis turned back to Ryu. "All right, my little Ryu... I'm going to open your 'eye' so you'll be able to see the way yourself." She held out her hand, and a small staff appeared in it. She pointed the staff at Ryu as light began to gather at its tip.

"W-wait a minute!" said Ryu. "What do you mean, open my 'eye'? What are you going to do to me?"

"Oh, relax! You'll be fine!" Deis laughed. "Although, this might hurt a little... but you'll just have to grin and bear it!" Suddenly, a large golden bolt struck down from above, directly hitting Ryu.

* * *

It was pitch black. Ryu felt like he couldn't move. Just then, a voice called out. 

"_...My...Ryu..._" It was the same voice he had heard so many times before in his dreams.

* * *

When Ryu regained consciousness, he was back in the large room with Deis and Garr. He was covered in a golden light. Suddenly, the light began to leave his body as it formed into a small ball. 

"Wh, what is this?" Ryu asked Deis.

"That, Ryu," said Deis, "is a little thing called the Eye of God. If you follow that light, it will lead you to the god that used the Guardians to destroy your people." The ball of light hovered away from Ryu as small symbols appeared within it. A bright white arrow began to point at one of the small symbols.

"What direction is it pointing in?" Garr asked.

"...North?" Ryu couldn't read the symbols in the sphere, but he knew almost immediately for some reason.

"That's right," said Deis. "Far, far away to the north, across the sea... How you get there is up to you, I can't do it for you. This is all I can do for now. It's up to you now, Ryu. Good luck!" Ryu suddenly felt his body becoming lighter as his body dispersed into tiny particles. "Now that he's gone..." Deis turned to Garr. "Garr, I want you to look out for him... make sure nothing happens to him, understand?" Garr nodded.

"I swear by all the lives of the Brood I stole, he will not come to harm as long as I draw a breath in this world!" He then dissipated in the same fashion as Ryu, leaving Deis alone in the chamber.

"...Whew!" Deis sighed. "I must be getting old if something like this knocks the wind outta me!" She bent over from exhaustion. "You must be feeling your age too... Sister..."

* * *

Ryu and Garr instantly reappeared inside the shrine at Mt. Zublo. They were immediately greeted by Nina. 

"Ryu, Garr!" she said. "You're back! First Ryu, and then you, Garr, both vanished, just like that! I was so frightened! What happened? did you meet Deis? Did you meet God?" Ryu was quiet, and Garr shook his head.

"God is... very far away," he said. "Across the northern sea..." He turned to Ryu. "Looks like we'll be needing a boat after all..."

"Then there's only one place we're going to find one," said Momo. "Back to Rhapala!" She, Peco, Rei, and Garr headed out of the shrine, leaving Ryu and Nina behind.

"Ryu?" Nina looked at him.

"Wh, what is it?" Ryu asked her.

"When you saw Deis again, she wasn't... you know... was she?"

"N-no! Of course not! She had clothes on this time, I swear! Don't you believe me?"

"I do, it's just... I'm sorry Ryu. I got angry with you earlier for no reason."

"Forget about it. What's done is done. Let's go before the others leave us behind."

"Right." They both exited the small shrine, headed for their next destination.

* * *

That night, Ryu and the others set up camp on the outskirts of Mt. Zublo. 

"We should rest for now," said Garr. "We can continue to Rhapala in the morning."

"I don't think I've ever heard of anyone crossing the northern sea," said Nina. "I didn't even think that it would be possible."

"A lot of the machines that were used in the plant were found as debris drifting from the north," said Momo. "Maybe the machines of the Techno Age have something to do with God?"

"I'm not so sure about all this," said Rei. "I mean seriously, cross the ocean!? I don't know about God or naked girls, but I know that getting over the ocean isn't going to be easy."

"We don't have a choice," said Ryu. "If we want to uncover the truth, we have to cross the sea and hear it straight from God's mouth. Our path's been set, now we just need to find a way to follow it..."

* * *


	24. The Sea Awaits!

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 24: The Sea Awaits!**

Ryu and his friends have returned to Rhapala, to see if the Porter's Guild's boat had finally come in. When they reached the docks, however...

"So," Ryu said, "the boat's still not here, is it?"

"I'm sorry," said Shadis. "I wish there was something I could do to help..."

"After all this running around, we hit a dead-end," said Rei.

"We can't just give up!" said Nina. "We've come so far! There has to be something we can do!"

"Actually..." Shadis interrupted. "We did find the boat..."

"You did!?" Ryu asked. "Well, where is it? I don't see it here..."

"It's not at this dock. It's at the one at Junk Town."

"Junk Town?"

"Yes. It got its name from all the broken machines and debris that drifted to the shore from the north. The boat is in their dock, but... it's broken down. Beyd already went there to speak with the Machinist's Guild about fixing it."

"Then that is where we will be heading next," said Garr. "There isn't a moment to waste. Let's be on our way."

"Ugh, all this running around is starting to ride on my nerves," said Rei.

"It will all be worth it in the end," Momo said. "...I hope."

"If you're heading to Junk Town, you'll need directions," said Shadis. "You can find it to the north of that monk city, what was it?"

"Urkan Tapa," said Garr. "That's all we need to know. Let's go."

* * *

After following Shadis's directions, the group found themselves in Junk Town. As the name implied, there were massive piles of junk towering over them. People dressed in oily clothes were seen sifting and digging through all the trash, looking for anything that could be used.

"Shadis said that Beyd would be here," Nina said. "We should find him and see if we can help fix the ship." Just then, in the distance, they saw Beyd, talking with several others.

"I'm Beyd, the Rhapala Porter's Guild guildmaster," he said to a man in a magenta uniform. "I've come to get our boat back."

"Yes, of course," said the man. "The dock is to the west. Go right on in." He pointed to the west, past the mounds of trash. Beyd immediately headed to the west.

"Hmm, he didn't seem to notice us," said Momo.

"He's probably really focused on getting the boat fixed and sent back to Rhapala," said Ryu. "Come on, let's follow him."

* * *

At the dock, people were busily roaming about, carrying equipment and parts here and there. At the edge of the dock, they could see Beyd talking to another person.

"You mean the repairs aren't finished yet!?" Beyd said. He looked upset at the man.

"Well," the mechanic tried to explain, "you see, sir... we didn't know you'd be coming so soon, see? We haven't even found all the parts we need for the repairs."

"Hmm... I see... but what should I do now? I told everyone in town that I'd be back soon with the boat..."

"S, sorry, sir... We didn't know that it would've taken this long to find appropriate parts. Excuse me for asking, sir, but you don't plan on having us look for the parts now, do you? I mean, recently..." Just then, Ryu and Nina approached the scene.

"It's been a long time, Beyd," said Ryu. "How is our favorite 'doofus' doing?"

"W, wait a minute now...!" Beyd look a little flustered at that remark.

"Heh, take it easy, I was only joking."

"Hold on... you, you're Ryu, aren't you!?" Beyd looked at Nina. "And Nina, too?"

"Long time no see, Beyd," Nina said with a smile.

"It's so good to see you again! I'll never forget what you've done for me all those years ago... I'm forever grateful to you. But, what are you doing in a place like this?"

"We came here for the boat," said Garr, who suddenly appeared behind Ryu and Nina, startling them.

"Y, you need a ship!? Well, I'd like to say I could help with with that, but..." He looked at the technician, then back at Ryu. "It looks like the repairs are going to longer than we thought. You're going to have to wait again just like before... I'm sorry."

"Wait a minute," said Momo, who appeared as quickly as Garr, making Ryu and Nina jump again.

"How do they sneak up on us like that?" Ryu whispered to Nina. Nina simply shrugged.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Momo asked Beyd.

"That's right!" Beyd exclaimed. "You're an engineer, aren't you, Momo? If that's the case... do you think you could give us a hand? Come with me." Beyd guided Momo and the others onto the ship, leading them down inside of it.

* * *

"This here is the engine room for the ship," said Beyd. There was a large metal contraption that filled up most of the room. A small panel sat right next to it.

"So..." Momo said, adjusting her glasses, "is this the thing that needs fixing?" Momo approached the large machine, closely examining every fine detail as she walked around it. "Gotcha, I can fix this, no problem! Ryu, come here for a sec." As Ryu approached her, she starting jotting something into her notebook, and tore out a page. "Do you think you can find these parts?" She handed him the paper, and Ryu examined what she wrote down. It was a rough sketch of various shapes. It made almost no sense to Ryu.

"Umm..." Ryu scratched his head. "What is this supposed to be, anyway? It looks like a kid's random scribble..."

"Those are the parts I need to fix the engine with. I don't think you'll be able to find all those pieces in one place, so you might have to do some scavenger hunting."

"Uh, I don't know about this high-tech mumbo-jumbo..."

"You were able to fix the lighthouse before," said Beyd. "I'm sure you'll be able to fix the ship, too!"

"That's right, Ryu!" said Rei. "From what I've seen of you so far, there ain't nothing you can't tackle head on!"

"All you have to do is find the parts for us," said Momo. "Leave the hard part of the job to me! I'll have this thing working in no time!"

"The best place to look for parts is at Steel Beach," said Beyd. "But you should be careful. There's no telling what kind of stuff you might find."

"We'll keep that in mind," said Ryu. "Okay, Momo, we're leaving this place to you until we get back!"

"Don't worry," Momo said, "you won't even recognize this place when I'm done! Come on, Peco! You can stay and help me, right?"

"Pukyu!" Peco squealed as he ran up to Momo, although she was probably only joking. The others then left her to her work.

* * *

When Ryu and company arrived at Steel Beach, there were several people already there. They were scrounging through the junk looking for things to use or sell. At the shoreline, there a large ox-man tugging at a rope, which led into the ocean.

"Nngh, godammit!" the ox-man grunted. "This thing won't budge!"

"Looks like he could use some help," said Ryu as they approached him. "Hey, do you need an extra hand?"

"Back off, kid!" the ox-man grunted. "This is mens' work, no children allowed! You'll get hurt!"

"What!? Who're you calling a kid, you fat c---" Rei covered his mouth and pulled him away.

"Easy there, slugger," Rei tried calming Ryu.

"Wait a second..." the ox-man noticed Garr amongst the group. "You there, you look like a dependable kind of person. Give me a hand with this, will ya?"

"What are you trying to do?" Garr asked.

"There's some machinery I netted, but I can't pull it all up by myself. Telling from how heavy it is, it must be the motherlode!"

"Hmm..." Garr turned to the others. "Should I help this man?"

"He did say there's a lot of machinery," said Nina. "Maybe we can find the parts we're looking for in that load! What do you think, Ryu?"

"I guess... but I don't like the idea of helping him..." He muttered to himself, "He called me a kid..."

"So you'll help?" the ox-man motioned for Garr to come. "Okay, grab the rope from the other side, and on the count of three, we pull?" Garr clutched the rope tightly. "Ready? One, two... three!!" The two muscle-bound men began pulling the rope with all their might. "Ooo, boy it's a big one! This one's a real fighter!" Just then, something began to emerge from the surface of the water. It looked like an antenna with a large bulb on the end of it. "What the? What's that?" More of the object began to emerge of its own accord. A giant angler fish with multiple clawed feet began shuffling its way onto the beach, its body wrapped in a net. "AHH!! M-m-m-monster!!" The ox-man dropped the rope and ran off screaming. The other scavengers saw the monster, and starting panicking, running off in random directions.

"Quite a catch, eh Garr?" Rei remarked.

"I guess I don't know my own strength," said Garr. The giant fish bellowed as it charged at Garr, opening its large mouth in an attempt to swallow him whole. Garr dropped the rope he was holding and grabbed the fish's jaws, trying to keep them from clamping down.

"Garr!" Rei shouted as he pulled out his twin knives. "Hold on, buddy, I'll---" Just then, the bulb on the tip of the fish's antenna began to spark with electricity. A large bolt shot out from it and struck Rei, sending him flying. Garr couldn't fight the fish's strength much longer. He jumped away as its mighty jaws slammed shut. The fish fired another lightning bolt at Garr, but he pulled out his spear and started twirling it, deflecting the lightning.

"Ryu! Nina! Do something about that antenna!" Garr shouted to them.

"Right!" Nina said as she pulled out her staff. She waved it around and pointed it at the fish. A blue beam shot out from the staff as it enveloped the antenna bulb, coating it in a thick shell of ice. "Did that do it?" The ice block began to spark and crack, until it shattered. The fish apparently didn't like this, as it turned its attention away from Garr and towards Nina. The angler prepared for another attack, but stopped when Ryu jumped onto its back from behind.

"Don't even think about it!" Ryu yelled at it as he swung his sword, cutting off the antenna. The severed limb squirmed and wriggled across the sand as Ryu jumped off the fish. Suddenly, electricity began to surge through the fish's body uncontrollably. The fish screeched in pain as it flailed about, until finally, it stopped moving.

"What just happened?" Ryu asked as he helped Rei back to his feet.

"It seems that the creature's antenna controlled its electric attack," Garr guessed. "Without it, it couldn't control the electricity in its body and fried itself to death." The angler's charred flesh began to break apart. Inside of its remains was a small machine. The machine sparked and sputtered as its outer casing fell apart, spilling several of its parts.

"Looks like that what was giving our fishy friend his charge," said Rei.

"Wait a minute..." Ryu pulled out Momo's note, then looked at the machine parts. "Those look like the things Momo wanted."

"What are we waiting for, then?" Nina asked. "Let's get these parts back to Momo! The sea is waiting!" They quickly gathered up the parts of the machine and departed the beach.

* * *

When Ryu and the others returned to the broken ship, they saw Momo was still busy with repairing the engine, removing the broken parts in preparation for the replacements. Peco was sitting in the corner, fast asleep. Momo looked up and noticed her friends had returned.

"Welcome back!" she said. "Peco, wake up! Look who's back!" Peco stirred out his sleep, and saw Ryu and the others.

"Pukwii!" He cried as he jumped up and ran over to Nina, snuggling up to her leg.

"I missed you too, Peco," Nina giggled. "Although, we weren't gone for very long..."

"So, did you find everything?" Momo asked. Garr showed her the heap of junk they salvaged from the beach. "That's it! That's everything I need! Ok, now we can start working. Here we go!"

"All right then, Ryu," Beyd said. "Let's go to the bridge. We don't want to get in her way."

* * *

In the bridge, everyone was waiting patiently for news from Momo. Ryu was pacing back forth across the room.

"This is taking too long..." Ryu said to himself.

"Just a little while longer, Ryu," said Beyd.

"I know, I'm just a little nervous, is all..." Just then, there came a crackling from one of the machines.

"This is the engine room," came Momo's voice from a small speaker. "Start the engine!"

"Starting the engine!" cried the helmsman at the wheel. The entire boat began to rumble as the engine below sputtered out smoke.

"Ease her out nice and steady!" said Beyd. "Full rudder left!"

"Aye aye, sir!" The boat creaked loudly as it turned away from the dock, heading into the open water.

"Engine steady... set course for Rhapala!" Beyd turned to Ryu. "Before we give you the boat, we need to return to Rhapala to let everyone know that it's fixed, is that okay?"

"Sure thing, Beyd," Ryu replied.

"Well, it'll be a while, and it is a small boat... but try and make yourself comfortable until we get there."

* * *

Ryu's friends were waiting in the small room underneath the bridge and above the engine room. Garr was leaning against the wall, while Rei was wobbling around, trying to keep his balance. Momo was sitting in a small bed, happily reading her notebook.

"What do you think?" Momo asked. "Do I know how to make repairs or what?"

"I don't know if we can make it across the sea in this boat..." Garr said.

"You're telling me!" said Rei. "This thing shakes around too much!" He finally lost his footing and fell on his rear.

"Where's Peco and Nina?" Ryu asked them.

"If you wanna talk to them, they're both outside." Rei got back up and stumbled towards Ryu. "Looking for some 'alone time' with the Princess, eh?"

"D-don't be ridiculous," Ryu said. "I was just making sure where everyone was."

"Right... It's okay, I won't tell anyone, and I doubt Peco will talk."

"Whatever." Ryu gave Rei a light shove, making him lose his balance again as he headed to the deck.

* * *

Out on the deck, Ryu could immediately see Peco snoozing away.

"Peco sure loves to sleep," Ryu said to himself. "I wonder if that's what all plants really do all day?" He looked around, and saw Nina standing at the front of the boat, stretching her arms, her wings slightly twitching.

"Enjoying yourself?" Ryu asked her as he approached her.

"I am!" she said happily. "It feels good to be out on the ocean, doesn't it, Ryu?"

"I wouldn't know, seeing that this is my first time being out in the middle of the water. I could do without the noisy engine, but other than that, it is pretty nice."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the bridge, Beyd was talking to the helmsman and his assistant.

"Come to think of it..." he said, "nobody even told how the boat got damaged in the first place..."

"Uh, well, you see..." one of the sailors seemed nervous. "Have you ever heard of 'The Black Ship', sir?"

* * *

"Maybe if we go all the way across the sea," said Nina, "we can learn everything about the Brood, and about you, Ryu..."

"Well, we won't know until we actually get there, will we?" Ryu said.

"Hmm... is that all you want to say?" Nina looked at him closely in the eyes. Ryu turned away, blushing slightly.

* * *

"Black Ship?" Beyd asked. "You mean that large ship you can sometimes see off in the distance?" The sailor nodded.

"you may not believe this, sir," he continued, "but the Black Ship was here, in the Middle Sea, sir!"

* * *

Outside, Nina saw something far out in the distance. "Hmm? What's that...?" Nina walked over to the edge of the boat, and leaned a little over the railing. Ryu walked over next to her, to try and see what she saw. "It looks like it's coming this way... a ship?"

* * *

"It came out of nowhere," the sailor continued his tale. "It sailed right in front of us... we couldn't avoid it." Beyd shook his head in disbelief.

"Impossible... The Black Ship has only been seen in the Outer Sea... there's no way it could navigate the shallow waters of the Middle Sea!"

* * *

A large, dark, iron ship sailed by the boat, large pillars of smoke emanating from its stacks. It silently roved across the water as it turned away from the boat and disappeared into the horizon.

"It's gone..." Nina said as she walked away from the edge. "I wonder what that was?"

"I don't know," said Ryu. "Although I can say without a doubt that I don't think I've ever seen something that big before."

* * *

"It's drifting, sir," the sailor continued. "It doesn't look like that ship has or a crew or anything..."

"If that's true," said Beyd, "then we should check it out. It could be a threat to our shipping lanes."

"Land ho!" the helmsman cried out. "Rhapala ahoy!"

* * *

After the boat finally landed in the Rhapala dock, everyone got off the boat, back onto solid ground.

"It took us a while," said Beyd, "but now, we can finally lend the boat to you guys."

"Thanks so much, Beyd," said Ryu. "We really appreciate it." Beyd motioned to the two sailors he was talking to earlier.

"These two will take you anywhere you want."

"Thank you, Beyd," Nina said. "We were planning on taking the boat to---"

"Waaiiiit!!!" Nina was interrupted by a deep bellowing yell. Just then, Zig arrived on the scene, pushing one of the sailors out of the way. "Let me handle this! Let me pilot the ship for them, Beyd--I mean, Guildmaster!"

"Um..." Beyd was a little confused. "...ok then, Zig..."

"You may have beaten me out for the lighthouse, and Shadis... but I'll all of you that no one handles a boat better than me!" He flexed his mighty muscles as he boarded the ship. "I'll be in the bridge. One of yous let me know when you're ready to shove off!" He then proceeded into the boat.

"Isn't he awfully confident about his skills?" Rei asked.

"Zig may be like that," said Beyd, "but he does have a point... he's our best sailor! I believe you're in good hands with him."

"I'll take you up on those words," said Ryu.

"All right then, take care and good luck! You can bring back the boat anytime you want!"

"Thanks again, Beyd!" Ryu said as they all boarded the ship. "Now, our real journey can begin..."

* * *


	25. The Legendary Mariner

**Breath of Fire 3: R Edition**

**by Roll-chan**

* * *

**Chapter 25: The Legendary Mariner**

Aboard their newly acquired ship, Ryu made his way to the bridge to speak with his new helmsman, Zig.

"So, you finally ready?" the burly sailor asked.

"Sure am," said Ryu. "Question is, are you?

"Are you kidding me? This is my big chance! Of course I'm ready!" Zig eagerly grabbed the steering wheel. "Let's go, already!" The boat began rumble again as the engine started back up. The ship slowly crept out of the Rhapala docks as it headed into the open sea. "So, anyway... where are you guys headed?"

"Only one place in mind," said Ryu. "...north, to the Outer Sea."

"The Outer Sea!? Are you sure about that?"

"What's wrong? I thought you said you were the best sailor around."

"It's not that, it's just... maybe you should talk it over with your mates first, you know, to see if they're as ready as you."

"All right, I'll do that. Just keep the boat ready when I get back." Ryu headed down the ladder and left the bridge.

* * *

Down below, Garr and Rei were leaning against the walls, minding their own business. Garr seemed to be lost in thought, while Rei's eyes wandered around, his tail twitching around.

"What's everyone up to?" Ryu asked them as he approached them.

"It's a little awe-inspiring for me..." said Garr.

"What is?"

"Crossing the sea to meet God... even the Urkan would never have dreamed such a thing possible."

"Well, don't get your hopes up," said Rei. "Something tells me that crossing this sea ain't gonna be easy. I mean, there's a reason nobody's done it before, right?"

"We're just going to have to take that chance," said Ryu. "Where's Momo?"

"She's down below, checking the engine, making sure nothing down there explodes. You can go see her if you want."

* * *

Underneath, in the engine room, Ryu saw Momo was busy examining the panel that monitored the engine.

"Hey Momo," Ryu said.

"Oh, hello, Ryu," she replied. "What's on your mind?"

"Nothing, I was just checking on everyone. How's the engine doing?"

"I don't know how long it will take to reach the other side, but the engine is running smoothly. There's nothing to worry about."

"If you can call sputtering 'smooth'," Ryu joked. "Have you seen Nina and Peco?"

"I think they're both outside. Those two really like the ocean air, I think."

* * *

Outside, Ryu saw Peco, sleeping again.

"Yet again..." Ryu said. "If Peco keeps sleeping like that, he'll turn into a vegetable. Wait a minute... he already is." He turned around to see Nina standing at the front of the boat, just like last time. She had her arms slightly fanned out from her sides, basking in the ocean breeze.

"The wind feels good, doesn't it, Ryu?" she asked him without even looking. She could already tell it was him since he would be the only one who would come see her.

"Yeah, I guess it does..." Ryu scratched the back of his head.

"I wonder what it's like on the other side of the ocean... we'll be the first to see it, won't we?"

"I guess we will." Ryu was quiet for a moment. "Nina..."

"Hmm? What is it, Ryu?"

"...There's no telling what we'll find on the other side, or what we'll have to do once we get there... I wanted to ask you, to please not do anything dangerous for my sake."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm on this journey for one reason, and that's to meet God and learn the truth about my people. You were pulled into this entirely by coincidence. I already feel bad for allowing you to get so deeply involved, and---"

"Ryu... if I wasn't involved in this situation, I would've never met someone like you..." She walked up to him and looked him square in the eye. "Are you saying that you wished you never met me?"

"No, of course not! It's just, that... if anything were to happen to you, I could never forgive myself... I care about you more than anything else in the world, even this journey. Above all things, I want to protect you."

"But that's one of the reasons I'm still here. Remember what I said when we were kids? I want to become stronger, like you, so you don't have to worry about me all the time."

"Nina..." Ryu put his arms around her, and she did the same for him.

"No matter what happens," she said, "we'll overcome all obstacles... together."

"...Yes. We have to depend on eachother, for support..." They kept their embrace for several minutes, cherishing the moment.

* * *

Later, Ryu finally returned to the bridge to speak with Zig.

"So," said Zig, "you finally made up your mind?"

"I talked with everyone," said Ryu. "We're ready. Take us to the Outer Sea."

"I thought you might say something like that. I suppose I should tell you, that no one who's been out there has ever returned alive. Are you sure you still want to go?"

"...We've come too far to just walk away from it now. Full speed ahead!"

"Well then, you're in good hands! Ol' Zig here is the best captain in Rhapala... no, in the whole world! If there's anyone who can get you across the sea, it's me!" He grabbed the steering wheel and rang a bell twice. "Besides, who else would be crazy enough to do it!?" The boat creaked as they headed out to the farthest reaches of the Middle Sea, to the point where it empties out into the vast Outer Sea.

* * *

The ship started to shake violently the moment they had left the outer limits of the Middle Sea.

"We're a-almost th-there..." Zig stuttered as he clenched the wheel tightly, trying to maintain control. "You all b-b-better g-get back i-inside the b-b-boat bef-fore s-someone f-falls out!"

The boat was being violently beaten down by wave after massive wave. The entire boat began to teeter back and forth. Everyone inside started being shaken around like marbles in a jar.

"It's too much!" Zig shouted. "She'll break up! We gotta go back!" The boat turned around as it fought against the waves in a desperate attempt to return to the mainland.

* * *

Moments later, the boat managed to return to the Middle Sea in one piece. Rei was leaning over the railing outside, losing his lunch. Peco stumbled around him in a daze.

Inside the bridge, Ryu and Nina were with Zig.

"...I'd heard stories," said Zig, "but I never imagined that it would be that bad!"

"And we were so close, too..." said Ryu, looking defeated.

"At least we're still in one piece," Nina said.

"I know I told ya that if anyone could get you there, I could..." Zig scratched his head. "But I don't know if I can do it with this boat..."

"Hold on a minute... are you trying to say we should give up trying to get across!? If the best sailor in Rhapala can't do it, what are we supposed to do then?"

"Sorry... I guess I just don't have what it takes to be like the 'Legendary Mariner'." This note piqued Nina's curiosity.

"Legendary Mariner? Could he take us across the ocean?"

"It's not quite like that... we sailors have a legend about a sailor living here around the Inner Sea who came from the other side of the ocean... but it's just a legend! A story!"

"Even if it is a legend, there still has to be some truth behind it! Tell us everything you know about him!"

"Well, you see... I don't really know much about him. There's a little town north of Rhapala called Parch. The mayor there might know something... maybe."

"Parch it is, then!" said Ryu. "Let's get going!"

"Yessir!" Zig saluted and grabbed the wheel again.

* * *

It was only about an hour-long voyage to the small fishing village of Parch. The tiny village even paled in comparison to the shoreside village that Gaist was living at. The air was saturated in the odor of smelly fish.

"Ugh, the smell is horrible!" Ryu said, covering his nose.

"How could anyone bear living here?" Nina asked, doing the same thing. "Let's find the mayor and ask him about the Legendary Mariner so we can get out of here!" They quickly asked one of the fishermen for directions. They were directed to a hut on the top of a hill. Inside, a bald-headed man with a large nose and glasses was sitting on the floor, shaking his head. Standing next to him was a young woman, who appeared to be arguing with him.

"Please, sir," the woman said, "how long do you plan on keeping this up?"

"As long as I have to!"

"Honestly, you're just like an immature child!"

"I don't care! I'm sick and tired of it, and I'm not gonna take it anymore!" He looked away from her and saw Ryu and his friends. "Who's there!?" the man demanded.

"Are you the mayor?" Garr asked.

"So what if I am?"

"Please, sir," Nina said, "we need to know more about the Legendary Mariner."

"What? The Legendary Mariner? Why should I tell you that?"

"Well, because---"

"If I tell you the story, you're just going to give me some more of that disgusting fish! I'm not telling you anything! I'd rather starve to death than eat another fish! I'll just sit here and wait until I die! I'm serious, I'll do it!"

"Whoa, old man," Rei said, "no need to get suicidal on us. Is there anything we can get you to make you change your mind?"

"Yeah, make me some food! Something that doesn't have fish!"

"Uhh..." Rei turned to the others. "Okay, do any of you know how to cook?"

"Not me," said Momo. "I'm a scientist, not a chef."

"I have been a Guardian for most of my life," said Garr. "I've had hardly any time to learn to do anything else."

"Don't look at me," Ryu said. "I grew up alone in the woods. I usually ate fruits, and whenever I had meat or fish, it was already cooked when I stole it."

"Looks like we just hit another dead-end," said Rei.

"Actually..." Nina started. "When I was little, I watched the chefs at the castle make something before..."

"Really?" Ryu asked. "Go on..."

"It was called 'shisu', and it was one of the best things I had ever eaten. The real surprise was that it had fish in it, but I couldn't even notice it!"

"Hmm, I think I know what you're trying to say... if we can make shisu, then we can have the mayor get over his dislike for fish without him even knowing."

"Exactly. Now we just need to find the ingredients. I need mackerel, shally seeds, vinegar, and horseradish."

"Excuse me?" the woman with the mayor was listening in on their conversation. "Are you going to cook something for the mayor?"

"Yes, but we need ingredients..."

"That isn't a problem. Over here." She led Nina to a small storage area filled with various cooking supplies. "This is our supply of non-fish food products. We couldn't of anything to make with this without putting fish in it, but it looks like you have some sort of idea."

"This is perfect!" Nina grabbed the necessary ingredients and layed them out on a table. "I just hope I know how to make it right."

"Just relax and take it easy," Momo said.

"We're counting on you, 'Chef Nina'!" Rei said with a thumbs-up.

'Chef Nina...?' Ryu wondered where that nickname came from. They watched quietly as Nina began chopping up the horseradish. After doing so, she began to mix the horseradish, shally seeds, and vinegar together as she kneaded it into a ball. After rolling it around several times, she stopped.

"Now it only needs one more thing," Nina said. "Fish."

"Well that should be a real challenge," Ryu said sarcastically. "We can go to any fishmonger here and buy one. I'll be right back." Ryu left the hut. Several minutes later, he came back with a small fish.

"That was quick," said Rei. "How much did it cost you?"

"Well..."

* * *

Outside, a fisherman began to count his inventory. When he got to the mackerels, he realized that one was missing.

"My FISH!!" he yelled out.

* * *

"...Let's not talk about that right now," Ryu said as he slapped the fish on the table. "Allow me." He pulled out his sword, and began descaling and chopping the fish apart. Nina took one of the pieces and placed it neatly on top of the shally seed ball she had made earlier.

"There, it's ready!" she said happily. "Oh, Mr. Mayor..."

"What? What is it, now?" the mayor asked.

"We've finished making your meal. We hope you like it!" She handed him the single piece of shisu.

"Wh, what is this? It smells so good..." The mayor's stomach began to grumble. "Here! Give me that!" He snatched the food and shoved it into his mouth. After chewing the food for a good bit, he finally swallowed. Suddenly, he sprang to his feet, and an aura of greatness seemed to be emanating from him. "Yeow! That horseradish is really kickin'! This is the most decent meal I've had in years! Tell me, what do you call this!?"

"It's called shisu," said Nina. "You wouldn't believe it, but it actually has fish in it!"

"W, what!?" The mayor froze for a second, poking the inside of his mouth with his tongue. "I... I couldn't even notice it! It's like it wasn't even there! I think I've been cured of my phobia of eating fish!"

"Does that mean you'll help us?" Ryu asked the mayor.

"Of course! I'll tell you anything you want to know, as long as you give me the recipe for that shisu!"

* * *

After explaining their predicament to the mayor, he starting thinking to himself.

"Hmm... the Outer Sea, you say..." The mayor seemed fascinated by their story. "And you want me to tell you about the Legendary Mariner?"

"That's right," said Ryu. "Can you tell us more about him?"

"Normally, I'd tell you to get such foolish notions out of your head, but I owe you for the shisu, don't I?" He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a small sheet of paper. "Here, take this." He handed the paper to Ryu.

"What is it?" Ryu unfolded the paper and examined it, with the others looking over his shoulders. It was an ocean chart, with multiple little notes about the ocean currents.

"That shows all the currents in the sea around here. If you follow it, you should be able to get through the crags to the east of here. Beyond those crags is where the Legendary Mariner lives."

"Really?" Nina asked. "I knew it! I knew it had to be true! Now we can find him and ask him how we can get across the Outer Sea! Let's go!"

* * *

Once they got back to their boat, Ryu and company immediately departed for their next destination. Hidden away in the rocky crags that bordered the Middle and Outer Seas was a small shack. As the boat approached the pier next to the house, a small green bird flew away and towards an old man with strange goggles on the far side of the pier. It squawked to get his attention.

"I know Duan, I know..." the old man said. "We have guests..." The bird squawked again as the boat dropped anchor. Ryu, Nina, and Momo got off the boat and approached the old man. "That's the Porter's Guild's ship, isn't it? What would the Guild want with me, hm?"

"N, no, we're not with the Guild," said Momo. "They lent us the boat to use."

"Hmm... well, anyways, welcome to my humble little shack on the rocks. Come inside, have some coffee, or something." The old man headed for his small house, and opened the door. "After you."

* * *

After sitting down at a table and sharing several cups of coffee, Nina explained to the old man what they were doing out in the middle of nowhere.

"...And so," said Nina, "we were hoping to ask the Legendary Mariner how we can get across the sea."

"The Legendary Mariner..." the old man sighed. "Are they still calling me that?"

"What do you mean?" Ryu asked. "Aren't you the Legendary Mariner?"

"My name is Kukuys, and I'm no sailor. I haven't explored the Outer Sea..."

"Does that mean..." Ryu became agitated. "That we came out here for nothing?" He pounded his fist on the table. "Dammit! After coming so far, we get stopped again..."

"Ryu..." Nina put her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm him.

"Then that means there's absolutely no way to cross the Outer Sea?" Momo asked Kukuys.

"Well," Kukuys continued, "in all honesty, I really did come from across the Outer Sea, but not as a sailor... I was a castaway."

"A castaway? You mean you were shipwrecked?" Nina stood up. "Then you do know how to cross the sea! Please tell us, we have to cross it!" Kukuys looked down, and shook his head.

"Impossible... no boat in the entire Middle Sea would survive the trip. Besides..." He paused. "There's nothing worth mentioning out there."

"Yeah, right!" Momo said, also standing up. "Then where do all the machines that drift down here come from?"

"If you got here..." said Nina, "then you must know a way for us to get there! Please Kukuys, tell us how!" They all looked at the old man, who was lost in thought.

"...If you're so determined, then maybe there is a way."

"Really!?" Ryu rose from his seat. "How? Tell us!"

"You must find a certain ship... the Black Ship."

"The Black... Ship?"

"Yes. You know it as the Black Ship. It's a large ocean-going transport. If you could somehow get aboard it..."

* * *

"I only said it MIGHT work!" Momo said to Ryu on the boat, as they sailed alongside the massive Black Ship. "I doubt that this will even work at all."

"We have to do whatever it takes," said Ryu. "Do it, Momo."

"Okay, only because you asked me to. Here goes..." Momo pulled out her cannon and started firing shots at the Black Ship. The shots left several small dents, but no significant damage. "See! I told you, we probably aren't going to stop it this way."

"Hey!" Garr shouted to them. "Something's moving over there!" They all turned to see a large cannon turret on the Black Ship rotating around, pointing itself at the smaller boat.

"H-hey, it's gonna shoot us!" Rei shouted. Suddenly, the turret fired a large canonball, barely missing its target. The canonball struck the ocean surface with a loud splash, causing a big wave to rock the boat. Inside the bridge, Zig was holding on tightly to the wheel, while Nina started to lose her balance as the boat wobbled around.

"Ahh!" she screamed. "Zig, get us out of here, quick!"

"Aye aye, ma'am! Full speed away!"

* * *

"Honestly, what were you thinking!?" Rei scolded Momo, shaking off the water from his body as it splashed on her.

"What, are you saying it's my fault!?" she retorted.

"And what if I am? If you knew it was a bad idea, then why did you do it?" They both glared at eachother, ready for a confrontation.

* * *

Inside the bridge, Ryu tried to shake some of the water off, while Nina took his white coat and wrung it dry.

"That was a close call," Nina said as she handed the coat back to Ryu.

"I wasn't expecting a ship with no crew to fight back," Ryu said. "I guess it attacks anything that gets near it."

"We're going to need a new plan if we're going to get on board... What should we do, Ryu?"

"Good question," said Zig. "What are you going to do, Mr. Ryu? You're the captain of this here crew, so you call the shots."

"We all saw how good of a leader I am with that last plan..." said Ryu. "Why don't you think of something, Zig?"

"Well, I just follow the captain's orders. Me? I'm just the helmsman. If you're really out of ideas, maybe you should be asking your mates what they think."

"I guess... I'll head down below and talk to the others."

* * *

Outside, Ryu could hear Rei and Momo yelling at eachother.

"Egghead!" Rei shouted.

"Caveman!" Momo snapped back.

"Guys, guys! Hold it!" Ryu jumped in the middle and separated them. "What's going on here?"

"What, you mean other than the fact that little Miss Science over there almost got killed?" Rei said.

"I've told you a million times over, it wasn't my idea!" said Momo.

"That's enough!" Ryu said. "If anyone's to blame, it's me! It was my idea, and I pressed Momo into doing it. If you're angry take it out on me." They both glared at eachother, then turned their back to eachother.

"Whatever," said Rei, his tail sticking upwards.

"Hmph!" said Momo, her arms crossed.

"Come on, don't be like that," Ryu said. "Okay, so my plan didn't work. What would you have done, Momo?"

"Hmm, let's see... what if we tried ramming it?"

"That's sounds even crazier than Ryu's plan!" Rei remarked. "Are you trying to kill us on purpose?"

"Nobody asked you! You, you... oooo!" She turned away from Rei again.

"Ugh..." Ryu sighed. "I'll let you two cool off for a bit." As he headed back into the boat, he noticed that once again, Peco was asleep, except this time, he was nestled in bed. "Even after all that, he can still sleep. How in the world does he do it?"

* * *

When Ryu returned to the bridge, Ryu explained his new strategy to Zig.

"What!?" Zig was surprised. "R, ram it!?"

"I'm really at a loss for ideas here, it's the only thing we haven't tried." Zig was quiet for a moment. 'I don't think he's buying it,' Ryu thought. Suddenly, Zig let out a big chuckle.

"All right! That's what I was hoping you'd say! Just leave it me, captain!" He grabbed the wheel and grinned. "There's only one man in the world crazy enough to go through with this plan, and that man's name is Z-I-G! You and your mates better find something to hang on to that won't fly off! Full speed ahead! Destination: the Black Ship!!"

"Actually," said Ryu, "I don't think this is a good ideeAAAAAAA---!" The ship rapidly accelerated as Ryu and Nina felt themselves being pulled to the back of the bridge.

* * *

Outside, Rei, Momo, and Garr were holding on to the siderails for dear life.

"What the hell's going on!?" Rei asked. "What's going on in the bridge!"

"We're going way too fast!" said Momo. "At this rate, we'll--AHHH!!!" Momo's grip on the rail slipped as she started flying. Suddenly, she felt someone grab her hand. She opened her eyes to see Rei holding on to her. "You, you..."

"What can I say?" said Rei. "I'm just an old softie on the inside."

"Look!" Garr said, pointing straight ahead. The distance between them and the Black Ship began to close drastically as they all braced themselves. The small boat crashed right into the rear of the boat with a resounding _**CRASH**!!!_

* * *


End file.

Breath of Fire