Garuda arc

Republic Warship

Mess Hall

12:00 A.M.

The group were sitting in the mess hall eating and listening to Ryoka tell them stories about herself. She's been at it all day.

"So anyways, that's how I won the battle of the bleeding river." Ryoka said as she stuck a spoon full of pudding in her mouth.

Outside of Julia, the rest of the group were left distraught.

"What?" Ryoka asked obliviously.

"That ...was.....AMAZING!" Emilia cheered as she had stars in her eyes.

"Like wow! You really took down over a hundred dragons with just your bare hands!? Taking their faces, shoving your fist down their throat and then pulling out their-!?" Ziera covered Emilia's mouth with her hand.

"Yeah! We don't need a recap Em!" Ziera shouted abruptly.

"Well at least someone appreciates my epic tales of venture and war. What about you Jay?" Ryoka asked.

"Yeah. That was uh…something." Jayden said awkwardly.

"How about gross? I think I just lost my appetite." Henro said.

"Eh. You're pretty smart for your kind. I'm sure you can find a kid or two to eat." Ryoka teased.

"Oh fuck you." Henro said as he glared daggers at Ryoka. Ryoka grinned back at him.

"Now, now come on you two. We just got done fighting each other so why don't we take a breather okay?" Emilia asked nervously.

"Tch." Henro said as backed off. Ryoka shrugged. Emilia coughed to ease the tension.

"So Julia. What was it like for you in the Kiyoshi Empire? I've only heard stories but never been there myself yet." Emilia asked. Julia stopped sipping her tea and opened her colorless blinded eyes.

"Well I have never seen what my homeland looks like through my own eyes but I am told it is beautiful. The white blossoms within the trees, the mountains, the flowers, the architecture and just outside the doors of the royal palace lies a statue in honor of Ryujin Tatsuya. One of the Guardians of Esos and descendant of my clan." Julia explained.

"Wow. It sounds incredible and-" Jayden tried to say.

"But it is not for the faint of heart." Julia said as her tone shifted.

"My nation is surrounded by a large endless snow storm that is extremely harmful to outsiders. Even if you bundle up, you'll be a frozen corpse if you remain inside the storm for more than 10 minutes. And if you were to become a samurai, you would typically start at a very young age where you are sent to the mountains and must walk back down."

"Surviving a brutal hailing storm, fending off deadly predators that will sink their claws or teeth into your skin. Freezing your blood until they reach your beating heart and as your body becomes frozen from the inside out and you begin taking your last breath as you stare into the predator's eyes with fear and shame, you then won't feel anything at all because your body as already gotten so numb and fragile that it might as well be glass. Finally, as the predator finishes you off and your body crumbles to ice particles that flow into the air, your soul leaves for the land of the dead to join your ancestors as you apologize for shaming them and your entire legacy forever! But other than that it's a wonderful place." Julia said calmly as she drank more tea.

Once again, outside of Ryoka, the group were left distraught. Ryoka laughed and placed her shoulder over Julia's waste.

"HAHAHA! Yep, that's my sister nation for ya. You lot wouldn't survive one day in the Northern continent. Unlike my jewel here." Ryoka said as she lightly growled onto Julia's neck. Julia blushed and lightly pushed Ryoka's face away.

"Not in front of them, Ryoka." Julia said.

"Aww!" Ryoka whined.

"Actually, I'm impressed. I knew dragon-kin went through extreme training but I didn't realize it was this intense. I never pushed myself nearly as hard in my training." Emilia said nervously.

"Well for what it's worth I am intrigued to see how the Garuda train their bodies for battle. Especially you Emilia." Julia said.

"Wait! Really!?" Emilia asked with a blush.

"Yes. Not only was your performance against Ziera impressive, Ryoka even informed me earlier how you saved her from getting hit by Ziera's attack. And then how you pointed a sword at her throat." Julia said.

"Yeah I still gotta get you back for that." Ryoka grinned.

"Wait! I'm sorry! I wasn't trying to hurt her I swear! I was just trying to-"

"You don't need to apologize. Standing up to Ryoka like that took courage. She doesn't listen to anyone but me but you managed to talk her down. I'm impressed." Julia said as she smiled.

"I'd take the compliment. Jewel rarely gives them out." Ryoka said.

"Oh thank you, Julia." Emilia smiled happily and blushed. Ryoka raised her eyebrow at Emilia.

Is she? Nah. I'm probably looking too much into it. Ryoka thought.

"I agree with Julia. Emilia is a very capable warrior. Not only is she the fastest member of our team, she even gave me a run for my money when we first faced off back at the empire." Ziera said.

"Oh stop! I wasn't that impressive back then!" Emilia waved off shyly.

"Wait! Hold on! You two fought each other!?" Jayden questioned.

"Now this I gotta hear! What happened!? Who won!? Did you kick her ass too Em!?" Ryoka asked excitedly.

"Oh no not really! If anything I was the one struggling." Emilia said nervously.

"Em. You don't have to be so modest. Zenal sent me to eliminate a spy for the republic. Emilia got in the way so I tried to kill her. But I couldn't adapt to her speed fast enough to win so she and the target escaped. Oh and before she left she kicked me in the face." Ziera said, feeling a bit annoyed.

"I said I was sorry. Though to be fair you were trying to kill me." Emilia said.

"So the moral of the story is, you suck. Maybe instead they should call you the Hasbin Princess! Ahahaha!" Ryoka laughed. Ziera grit her teeth.

"Ahahaha! I'm gonna fuck you up bitch." Ziera said as she stood up.

"You want me to kick your ass again? All you had to do was ask." Ryoka said as she stood up and cracked her knuckles.

"Whoa! Let's just calm it down okay?" Jayden asked.

"Didn't we just say we're at a time of peace? Sit your asses down right now." Henro demanded.

"Shut up Henro." Ziera and Ryoka said simutainsuly.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"But he's right. Ziera you just recovered. I don't think getting into another fight is exactly the smart move." Jayden said.

"Agreed. Sit down, Ryoka. If you two want to fight, do it another time." Julia said.

"Yeah, yeah I know." Ziera said.

"Fine. I'll just jump you in your sleep." Ryoka shrugged.

"Try it bitch." Ziera shot back. Ziera and Ryoka grinned and shot daggers at each other.

"Uh Em, aren't you gonna play the peacekeeper?" Henro asked.

"Oh no. This is fine. They're just having a friendly rivalry." Emilia said.

"Just like a shonen anime." Jayden said.

"Like that manga with the weird horse and the eclipse" Henro asked.

"You're thinking of Berserk dude. That's a seinen not a shonen. I mean stuff like Naruto." Jayden said.

"You talking about that weird pirate manga?" Henro asked.

"That's One Piece. Naruto is about ninjas. Do you live in a cave or something?" Jayden asked.

"Look I don't think shit! I'm fucking nerd like you!" Henro shouted defensively.

"One question. What was that about the horse?"

Emilia asked.

"Don't worry about it." Jayden and Henro said simultaneously.

"But-."

"DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT!" Jayden and Henro shouted simultaneously.

Emilia was puzzled.

"Well enough about that. Why don't you three tell us more about yourselves?" Julia asked.

"Yeah Akumera. Tell us all about yourself!" Ryoka said mockingly.

"What's there to tell? Born in Hell. Left Hell with mom. Lived in a church for a while. Got betrayed, kidnapped, experimented on by a sadistic psychopath, got broken out and now I'm here sharing a ship with you of all people." Henro said.

"Oh don't be a bore. Tell us about Hell. Is it as red as they say?" Ryoka asked.

"Even more so actually. And it sucked." Henro said.

"And?" Ryoka asked.

"That's it. The end." Henro said.

"Gods you are so boring it's depressing." Ryoka groaned.

"What more do you want me to say? I barely remember anything before I came to Esos. It's all foggy for some reason. I think Silas messed with my memories during those experiments. Ugh. Just thinking about it is giving me a headache." Henro said defensively.

Emilia gently placed a hand on Henro's shoulder to comfort him. Henro smiled at her and she smiled back at him.

"Maybe you should get some sleep? You'll feel better in the morning." Emilia said.

"You read my mind. Alright, I'm calling it in. Have fun with the campfire stories." Henro said as he and Emilia stood up.

"I'll walk Henro out. And I should probably get some sleep too." Emilia said.

"Okay. Goodnight guys." Jayden said.

"Goodnight." Ziera said as well.

"Don't forget to leave the light on at night edgelord! Ow! I was just kidding Jewel!" Ryoka winced.

"Anyways, not much to tell besides what you already know. On my off days I like to tinker with my inventions or play video games." Ziera said.

Ziera then remembered two familiar faces going through her head.

"Actually there's something else. I had….friends back at the empire. Alexia and…Caleb." Ziera said with sadness in her voice.

The group went silent. Knowing that this was a sensitive topic for Ziera.

"Henro and Emilia already know about them. They actually came across them before we escaped from the capital. That was when things weren't so good between the three of us. But before then, they were my best friends. Practically family. When we aren't on missions,

We were out causing trouble. So much so my sister would give me an earful every time." Ziera said.

"Like that senate building crash incident?" Ryoka asked jokingly.

"That's the one." Ziera said.

"Wait senate what now?" Jayden asked.

"Sorry Jay. That's between us girls." Ryoka waved off.

"As I was saying, Alexia was like a second sister to me. She and I would bicker over the smallest things. And Caleb…well he tries his best to impress us with his charm. But fail…badly." Ziera laughed softly.

"So he is Ryoka then." Julia said.

"You're mean babe." Ryoka whined. Ziera and Jayden laughed.

"Well your friends sound pretty cool Ziera." Jayden said.

"Thanks Jayden. But they're gone now. Alexia and I…didn't end on good terms. And Caleb…is.". Jayden placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Hey. If you aren't ready then don't worry. Trust me I get it." Jayden said with a smile. Ziera smiled back at Jayden.

"Okay then. What about you Jay? What's your life's story?" Ryoka asked.

"Other than reading my guardians comics which I realized are all non canon material now. I used to help my mother around the homeless shelter back at Lockwood. Now I'm mostly just training to know how to use this gauntlet. Which talks now. So that's cool I guess. Guardians, my life is just so weird now." Jayden said.

"Speaking of, why isn't it talking now? It hasn't said a word since Ziera got cured." Ryoka said.

"I don't know. Maybe he's sleeping or something? I wanted to thank him for helping save Ziera. I couldn't have done it without him." Jayden said.

"What you should be doing is asking that thing as many questions as possible. Maybe he can tell you about the big mystery of the guardians?" Henro questioned.

"Mystery?" Julia asked.

"Jayden used to take what his comics and history books of the Guardians as gospel. And as continued on this journey, we've learned more of how very little we truly knew them. A yokai named arkin from the azalea forest met the guardians thousands of years ago but can't remember anything about them." Ziera said.

"Oh so that's it? Well you aren't the only ones looking for answers." Ryoka said.

"You're looking into the Guardians too?" Emilia asked.

"My father mostly. Ever since he died in battle my uncle and cousins have done nothing but try to smear his good name. There are dragons who still defend my father but none back at Ifrit could tell me anything about him on a personal level. The only one who could was my mother but she refused." Ryoka said.

"Why?" Jayden asked.

"Oh she hated him." Ryoka said casually.

"What for?" Ziera asked. That's when Ryoka stiffened up.

"Doesn't matter." Ryoka said. Ryoka stretched and stood up from her seat. "Alright this was fun but I'm ready to turn in. Jewel you coming?" Ryoka asked.

"Yes, let's." Julia said. She stood up.

"Yeah we got training in the morning so time to hit the hay." Ziera said.

"Ugh. And here I thought we'd get a day off." Jayden groaned.

"Don't be a baby. This is for your sake." Ziera said sternly.

"Yeah I know. Well goodnight you two." Jayden said as he and Ziera waved them goodbye and walked off.

"Those two remind me of us." Ryoka said.

"In a good or bad way?" Julia asked.

"Good questio-WHOA! JEWEL!?" Ryoka shouted in shock as Julia scooped her up in her arms bridal style.

"You carried me to the battlefield, so now I'm carrying you to bed. And this time, I lead." Julia whispered in Ryoka's ear. Ryoka blushed. She shivered with lust and smiled.

"Yes ma'am." Ryoka said happily as Julia carried her off to their room.

***

Henro and Emilia were walking down the hall.

"So Em, I'm just gonna ask. What made you start crushing on those two?" Henro asked.

"WHAT!? Me crush!? Ah no! No! No! No no no no! Ha! No." Emilia said feeling flustered.

"Em I'm not blind. I've seen the way you gush over them. What I don't get is why. You know they are in a relationship right?" Henro asked. Emilia looked down feeling ashamed.

"I know that. I'm not trying to do anything I promise. It's just I don't know. I never felt this way before about someone. I tried getting over it but when they started complimenting me I..ugh." Emilia covered her face with her hands. Henro sighed.

"Well how did it start?" Henro asked.

"When I saw them fight those dragons. It may have seemed brutal to you but, to me as a warrior, it was inspiring." Emilia said.

"Really?" Henro asked with an unsure expression.

"Yeah. They weren't just strong, they were fearless, passionate, and above all honorable. True warriors. Like Tenjin and like my father." Emilia said.

"Is that it? They represent what a true warrior is to you?" Henro asked.

"It's more than that. They represent the kind of warrior I want to be. The kind I need to be as the princess of my people." Emilia said.

"Em, you don't need to be like any of them to lead your people. You're great the way you are." Henro said.

"But I'm not. I nearly got myself killed back at Lockwood, I betrayed your trust, I couldn't do anything when those dragons almost killed Jayden, I barely did anything to help Ziera when she ascended and worst of all, neither Ziera nor Tenjin trusted me enough to tell me about their problems." Emilia said.

"Hey stop that. That's on them. Not you." Henro said.

"Is it? Or maybe I'm just not good enough. I'm supposed to lead an example towards my people but I haven't done nearly enough to earn that. My people are suffering right now Henro. They have been for over a decade because of this civil war. If I'm going to end it, I have to be better."

"Ryoka may be arrogant and Julia may be ruthless but they know what they want and work to achieve it. No matter what comes their way. And that is what I really like about them." Emilia said. Henro sighed.

"Okay I may not understand this warrior stuff but I do understand you, Em. You want to better yourself. That's fine I get it. But you don't need to change who you are to be better. I hope you know that." Henro said gently.

"Yeah. Thank you Henro." Emilia said with a smile.

"No worries. And I can't tell you who to like but I just don't want you to get hurt. That's all." Henro said. Emilia hugged him.

"I know. You're looking after me. Like always." Emilia said happily. Henro hugged her back.

"Yeah. Always." Henro said. Emilia released him.

"Well I'll let you sleep. Goodnight Henro." Emilia said as she walked off.

"Goodnight Em." Henro waved off. He saw Emilia leave and then went into his room.Henro then winced and placed his hand on his forehead when he felt his headache resurface.

"Gah this fucking headach. I'm over this." Henro said. He placed his hand on his forehead and began healing. The headache was gone. He took a breath and now felt relaxed.

"There. Nothing to it-GAH!" Henro cried out as he fell over onto the floor.

"What the fuck!?" Henro winced as he felt his headache grow worse. He held his head trying to get through the pain when something else caught his notice.

Blood began dripping from his nose. He touched the blood dripping under his nostril and looked at it on his fingers.

"What's happening to me?" Henro asked, feeling horrified.