Reicheru: Good job on Chapter 2, Ayame.
Ayame: Thanks. What's going to happen in Chapter 3?
Rowen: That's something we all would like to know.
Reicheru: I am not telling. You will have to read and find out.
Cye: Come on, Reicheru. Just a little hint?
Reicheru: Sorry, can't do that.
Chapter Three
Mia went up to check on Rowen before heading to bed. She opened the bedroom door to his and Sage's room and peeked in to find him sound asleep in his bed. Smiling, she carefully shut the door again and headed to her room, not knowing that someone was watching every movement she made. As the door to her room shut, Dakari stepped out of the darkness and grinned now knowing where Strata was. The opening door woke Rowen up just a little. As he stared over at the door, his vision was still blurred from sleep but he knew it couldn't be Mia, because it was too tall to be her. Finally, his vision cleared and he saw Dakari standing in the doorway. He jumped out of bed but was still weak from his injuries and almost stumbled.
"This is going to be too easy," Dakari said advancing on him. "Master Satori wants me to bring you to him and that's what I'm planning on doing."
"Not today you're not," Rowen said grabbing his armor orb. "Armor of Strata, dao inochi."
"You really think that pathetic armor is going to keep me from taking you to my master?" Dakari said laughing.
Just as Rowen armored up, Dakari lashed out with a whip and it wrapped around him and tightened. The next thing he knew, electricity was coursing through the whip and into him. A couple minutes later, Rowen slumped to the ground unconscious as his armor faded.
"Now that was way too easy," Dakari said stepping over to Rowen. Picking him up, he teleported back to the Nether Realm.
Satori looked up as Dakari appeared in the room with Rowen.
"Strata has you requested Master," Dakari said.
"Good job Dakari," Satori said coming over. "Take him to the room next to the other Ronins room. I'll contact you when I'm ready to test his armor."
Dakari bowed and left the room. In their room, Ayame and Cye heard footsteps coming down the hall and figured it was either Satori or Takari. But the footsteps went by their room and they heard a door open beside theirs and wondered what was going on.
"You don't think they got any of the others do you Cye?" Ayame asked worried.
"I'm sure they didn't," Cye said but he wasn't too sure about that.
Meanwhile, the others were just starting to wonder how they were going to get into the Nether Realm when Hanako spoke to Reicheru.
"If you and the others form a circle around me I can get us into the Nether Realm," the jaguar said to her.
Reicheru nodded and turned to the others. "Hanako can get us into the Nether Realm," she told them. "Form a circle around her and she'll do the rest."
They formed a circle around the jaguar and soon everything went black. When they opened their eyes, they found themselves near a lake in the Nether Realm. Looking up, they saw Talpa's castle a couple of miles away from them.
"There's a sight I never thought I'd see again," Kento said staring at the castle.
"Tell me about it," Ryo said agreeing and turned to Reicheru. "So, where exactly is this Fire Volcano?"
"Hanako knows where to go," Reicheru said. "We just have to follow her."
The three remaining Ronins glanced at each other and nodded and started following Reicheru and Hanako away from Talpa's castle. In the temple, Rowen started to come around just a little and found himself in a room and he knew it wasn't his and Sage's back at Mia's. Then he remembered exactly what happened back at Mia's and wondered if they had done something to Mia. He got slowly to his feet and got his bearings and went over to the door and tried it but found it locked.
"Dang it," Rowen said frustrated.
--to be continued—