This is that tale.

The maddening chatter of two women talking about everything necessary for the 'perfect' wedding pierced the silent melancholy that was me, sitting forlornly and wondering what the hell they were talking about. Flowers, doves, rice?! Explaining the inner workings of a wedding to any guy is about as easy as trying to explain retro-active runic physics to a lobotomized dog. WE JUST DON'T GET IT.

Which explains the 'sitting' portion of the equation, now on to the 'forlornly' bit. After several patient hours of talking me down, I had finally gotten off the roof of my house. What could possibly drive a man to such extreme actions, you ask?

Money. Where a guy would be satisfied with a priest, a few friends, and plenty of beer; with women coordinating gowns and four string quartets become an immediate necessity. Four string quartets?! If I wanted music, I'd let my cousin Naroda have a go at Pachebel's Canon armpit style. Not only would it be cheaper, I pointed out, but it'd be a hell of a lot more entertaining than four mustachioed sissies on violins. Rei pointed out I only held that opinion because I was a total gimp. She's such a kidder... I hope, anyway, I stray from my current predicament.

"We'll need at least twenty dozen roses if we're going to do this arrangement," my wife to be said matter-of-factly. I nodded along, pretending for a moment that I knew where the conversation was going. "Ok, but what kind of flower should we use," Maria asked, a schew of plans, designs, and other nonsensica scattered across her lap.

I could feel my eyes glazing over as the conversation continued, showing no sign of abating within this century. "Amada? Hey, Amada, what do you think," Rei asked, nudging me with an elbow. I tensed, what was the question? "Ya know, I was thinking...," I stalled, hopelessly searching for something, anything to say that would indicate I had actually been paying attention, "I liked your suggestion...yeah." After that token participation, the both of them went on with whatever it was they'd been discussing in the first place.

I mean, sure, I wanted her to have the kind of wedding she dreamed of, but, if that was going to happen, I needed to make a lot of money fast. Fortunately, I had an idea where to get it. Ten minutes later, I managed to sneak out during a particularly nasty argument over the bridesmaid dresses.

The robed man nodded to the physician, a kindly-looking older man. "How is she," he asked in a hushed whisper, seating himself next to the bed. The elderly man frowned, "She's fine for now, but if infection sets in..." The robed man turned to look at the old doctor, his face hidden by a cowl, yet still communicating his anger. "What do you mean 'if infection sets in'? Haven't you treated the wounds," he growled. The doctor nodded, "Of course I have, but the wound was serious. These things just aren't predictable. It's a miracle she's still alive."

The man simmered with hostility, but he nodded and turned back to the patient. "Leave us," the cowled man ordered. The old man got up, paused as if he was going to say something but thought better of it. When they were alone, the man bent close to the woman on the bed. He drew back the cowl, revealing a strange symbol tattooed on his forehead, two diamonds, one red and one brown, overlapping each other, the overlapping area a pitch black color. "Wake up, Meia," he commanded. Slowly, the woman's eyes opened. "Hideko," she whispered weakly, trying to sit up, but pushed down with a hand.

Hideko nodded, "It is me. Stay still." He placed a palm over the wound in her chest. Meia moaned, her body vibrating with the pain of his touch. When he lifted his hand, a red scar was all that remained. Meia's eyes widened in awe, "How?"

He grinned, a very unpleasant sight, "You would not believe me if I told you, watch instead..." He pulled a knife from his waist and brought against his thumb.

"Listen, do you want the money or not," the bartender asked.

I rolled my eyes and leaned closer to Jeehn, "Of course I do. Would I be bugging you if I didn't?" Jeehn sighed, "I hear ya, Amada. It's just this is the only freelance job available, so...," he paused and looked as serious as a man possessing most all of the characteristics of a hulking teddy bear, "You can take it or leave it. I've got people to serve and you're taking up a seat, bud."

I imagine a look of irritation flitted across my face, "Fine, fine, I'll take it, but this better not be bull."

Jeehn grinned at me, "If the rumors are even half-true...you'll be wishin' it is." I tapped my finger on the bar for a moment. I left.

The old man's eyes remained unclosed, the twin sky-blue orbs looking upward in surprise, his throat ripped to shreds.

"How much money did he have," Meia asked, snuggling into a cloak too big for her. She almost shivered at the thought that a few moments ago, it's owner had been alive. Hideko bent over the old man and cut the strings on his purse. "Enough, we must leave," he muttered, pocketing the money. Meia pulled the cloak tightly around her, "Where are we headed? And to what purpose?"

Hideko drew his dagger across the old physician's chest, carving a bloody tattoo much like the one on his forehead, before rising and sheathing the blade. "We are going to join the Highland army," he responded glibly, turning to stare at his comrade.

"But our orders..."

He waved her concerns away with a hand, "Forget the Temple, if we returned now, we would be killed. Besides, don't you want this power I have? No weapon can harm me, or do you need to see again?" She shook her head vehemently. That thought raised the hairs on the back of her neck. He had cut off his thumb, only to have what appeared to be maggots squirm out of the stump. They had climbed over each other and formed another thumb, identical to the first. She would certainly be having nightmares the next few days. And then, the old man. Hideko had simply pointed at him and his throat had gruesomely turned itself inside out.

"Let's go," Hideko ordered, turning on his heel and stalking out of the house. Meia paused for a moment, her eyes lingering on the dead man's body, his death had been necessary, she told herself, necessary. She left.

All the while, they had been oblivious to a hidden watcher at the window. Three sets of unblinking eyes glinted in the moonlight. Then they were gone.

I arrived in Coronet the next morning under the pretense of a last-minute-I'm-really-sorry-but-it-can't-be-helped delivery. Rei didn't believe me, not that I would have had I been in her shoes, but what could she have said? "I hope you're not going off to kill some monster that probably doesn't exist or, if it does, will probably rend you limb from limb, because if you are, you better be wearing protection?'

I really hated to lie to her, especially considering we were getting married. Trust is the foundation for a successful marriage, or so I've heard. I pushed all those thoughts away for the moment. Think about the money: just go in, see if it's real, beat it silly if it is, get the money, and go home. Sounds simple, doesn't it?

After pulling into the Coronet harbor, I was directed to the proper authorities by a surprisingly unhelpful fisherman. The exchange went something like this:

"Excuse me, do you know where the mayor of the village is?" That's me.

The fishermen slowly turned his attention away from the rock he'd been staring at and staring at me. One second passed, then another. After about a half minute of uncomfortably drawn out silence, I repeated the question, "Yo, know where the mayor is?"

-Silence-

I pointed towards the nearest house. "Is that his house?"

-Silence-

"Um, ok, thanks a bunch."

Seeing that I was finished with him, he returned to his vigil. I stood around for a moment more. I might of understood what was going through his mind if it had been an interesting rock, but it was a dull, dull gray and amazingly similar to about four dozen other stones scattered across the beach. To each their own, eh?

I made my way to the house I'd guessed at and entered. Within the minute, I scrambled back out of the hut, a scream in my throat and a hand over my eyes. Apparently, judging from the horrible millisecond my eyes had fallen upon those two prone figures, the rumor that sex drive vanished at about age 60 was a myth. The two of them had looked closer to eighty.

Frantically trying to erase these images, I made my way into the next house. Luckily, nothing psychologically damaging presented itself. A haggard man in his mid-thirties looked up from his desk, absently tugging on one end of a thick mustache, "Can I help you?"

I shrugged, "I hope so, I'm here for the job." The man's eyes lit up, "Are you now? You're the third this week!" I frowned, "Oh, it's already been taken care of?" The mayor shook his head, "On the contrary, all of them returned here babbling like idiots about a horrendous monster."

It wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear. "So, anyway, what type of monster is it? Has it killed anybody," I asked, plopping down in a chair across from the mayor. The mayor grimaced, as if dwelling on a particularly nasty thought, "We don't know what kind of monster it is, everyone who's seen it has either died or gone insane. The only fatality so far has been Mr. Oltick, the old man was found dead, his throat had been...uh, ripped out and a symbol was carved into his chest, two diamonds overlapping each other."

Part of that struck me as weird, "Wait a sec, a symbol carved into his chest? I've never heard of a monster that did that before." The older man nodded in agreement, "I hold the same opinion, however, a group of youngsters claim to have seen a three-headed dog prowling around Oltick's home. Normally, I wouldn't believe them, but another man saw it too, a Palik Bozz, and he tracked it back to its lair in the mountains directly east from here."

I leaned back in the chair, piecing everything together. 5000 potch if I was successful, insanity at best if I wasn't. "I'll take the job, just send this Bozz fellow as a guide," I said, getting up. The mayor was overjoyed, he sent for Bozz and shipped me off almost as soon as I said 'I'll take'. What exactly had I got myself into?

Two figures rode east, headed for the remains of Toto. Meia reined her horse next to her partner, pulling her cloak tight. Why was she so damned cold lately? And who exactly was Hideko working for now? He'd been loyal to the Temple, just as loyal as her, until their loss to mere commoners. Was that why he seemed so distant? Was he seeking vengeance? Strange, that such a talented man as he would succumb to something as petty as emotion. Of course, she held no illusions herself, she hated her sister for her betrayal, and for something as inconsequential as a man! Was she herself the only one who knew to suppress her emotions? So many questions and so few answers.

Perhaps she should kill Hideko. He was obviously turning away from the Temple. But how? She would stay by his side until she could find a way, then, return to the Temple. Even if only death awaited her, she would be damned if she would shirk her sworn duty. At least they would allow her to make a report before she was executed, then her sister would pay for her betrayal.

I glanced at the mountain that towered above us, some might have described it as: tall and majestic against the backdrop of the night sky. Under normal circumstances, I would probably have agreed, but the possibility of imminent death doesn't exactly make sightseeing a priority. "So, this is it?" Bozz didn't bother to look at me, "Yup." Who would have guessed that my guide would be the same stupid fisherman that was so helpful earlier. "Then I guess I'll go in now," I muttered, adjusting the arsenal of knives, daggers, and assorted sharp things I'd dragged with me, you know, just in case. I was actually breaking into a sweat, whether from nervousness or the fact that I was carrying fifty pounds of steel on my person, I wasn't sure. My grip tightened on my oar as I got up from behind the boulder the two of us had been crouching behind. Bozz nodded, his gaze locked on the cave, "Yup...good luck."

Almost shocked that he'd said anything polysyllabic, I went straight in. At the moment, I was doubting the wisdom of my decision. Please, please, let it be sleeping! It was dark, not too surprising for a cave in the middle of the night, but still, I was surprised, heck, even insulted when my light didn't come on immediately. Runic lights were so damned unreliable, I would have broken into a swearing fit right there if I hadn't been so concerned with survival. Unfortunately, as I found out, I didn't have to swear to make noise. Fumbling in the dark, I didn't see the two foot drop coming. Letting out a yelp, I managed to break my fall with my face. Scrambling to my feet, I could feel the blood streaming from my nose. Perfect.

Suddenly, the light flickered on, illuminating smooth gray walls, stalactites hanging from the ceiling, and a four feet tall, three-headed wolf with upwards of ten thousand sharp, pointy fangs. In all fairness, I think I sounded rather manly when a scream ripped right out of my lungs. It lunged and took a swipe at me, slashing through about four bandoliers jam-packed with knives. They hit the ground with a clang. Gathering a little composure, I swung my oar two handed...and threw myself off balance. The beast tackled me, its slavering jaws pausing a mere half a foot above my unprotected throat, "Crap."

Thus concludes this chapter. Will Our Hero be reduced to dog meat? Will we find out exactly what the heck's going on with Hideko? Will Rei get ticked off and beat the crap out of Our Hero?

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"Amada" and "Suikoden 2" are (C) Konami. This chapter was posted before December 13, 2000