The Protector of Enterra
Chen, Ray and Estee sat in Hakuba as the robot hovered up the mountain side. Not long after Mushrambo left he sensed Yakumo in the valley hidden between the hills and without much thinking the kitten jumped in and now as they ascended the last hill their eyes grappled with the valley before them. It was full of craters and rock. Dust rose from the ground and swept across the valley floor. The sun burnt high in the sky as it pasted two in the afternoon.
"Are you sure that Yakumo is here, Hakuba?" Chen said. The kitten's doubts now clear as he didn't think the robot was right in the first place. What would Yakumo be doing up here. It doesn't make sense.
Estee turned to her brother and scolded him harshly, her temper quick and sharp. "What? How could you say that? Hakuba is smarter then you, by ten times!" The youngest kitten spoke, her child like ways coming through in the end of her sentence. Chen looked at his sister with confusion but shrugged it off, now used to his sisters comments. He turned back to the layout of the valley before them.
"Where is she?" Ray asked and once again Estee answered, calmer this time.
"Wait and see!" Ray folded his arms and huffed back down into the seat, unsatisfied with the answer. The kitten's and Hakuba searched a further five minutes before Hakuba spoke up in a soft robotic voice that he was given by Yakumo's father.
"This is bad" The kittens took attention of the robot. "Yakumo needs to reach Shinzo and with Mushrambo gone now we need to be on guard" The robot stopped, "I sense something up here that wants us gone" The robot hovered forward again, "Yakumo's father put Yakumo in cryogenic sleep so that she would survive the War. She was tasked with reaching Shinzo and bring peace among humans and Enterrans."
"But Hakuba…all humans are gone, except for Yakumo" Estee said.
"Maybe so, but upon reaching Shinzo, Yakumo should find other humans"
"There are more humans in Shinzo?" Estee awed, "I wonder what they're like, are they as nice as Yakumo, Hakuba?"
"Humans are like Enterrans, some good, some bad with those in between. It depends on how you look at it."
The kittens remained quite in the robot. All looking at each other, unsure of what to think.
"There she is" Chen pointed up to a ledge where Yakumo stood, frozen in her stone shell, her hand reaching outwards, as if begging to be freed from her stone prison, her facial expression unreadable.
"You were right, Hakuba" Ray apologised. The robot climbed the edge of the last cliff and suddenly Ray took notice of something. "Why is she on the ledge?"
"Ya…why Hakuba?" Estee added.
"I'm not sure, but we'll soon find out?" As they approached the stone figure they saw her looking out towards the forest, she remained still, as if she was nothing more then a sculpture by Michelangelo. Out among the forest was a vast sea of green canopies. Over the horizon clouds began to gather and the kittens were frightened as they saw that Yakumo was placed on a thin ledge that dropped so far down that the bottom was covered in shadow.
Estee jumped out of Hakuba and was followed swiftly by her brothers. "Get back here" Hakuba order but it fell on deaf ears as they ran.
Estee ran over rock and rugged surface and turned quickly to jump down on the ledge but she was caught by Chen who protested by her actions. He was about to scold her when the ground began to rumble. Estee fell but Chen grabbed her. The rumble turned to a quake as pebbles and piece of rock on the ground moved and shook.
"What's going on?" Estee shouted over the roaring of the shaking earth. Then before she could ask again the ground began to rip in places and then a cataclysmic bang tore the area apart. Estee was thrown from her brothers and she was thrown over the edge of the cliff face where Yakumo's statue was. She looked over among all the chaos and saw the statue falling. "Yakumo!" She shouted, horror pumping through her small body. Her stomach tightened with worry as the statue began to decent into the shadow. It vanished from her sight and suddenly Estee found herself with tears in her eyes. "Yakumo…" Her small voice whimpered.
But out of the corner of her eye she saw a flash of purple and black, and a hand curling its way around her body. Her limbs felt light as she was pulled away from the cliff and her head turned up to see her hero…Mushrambo.
The samurai landed on the ground with a light thud. Under his other arm was Yakumo. He placed her gently on the ground and put Estee beside him. The small female kitten looked up to see Mushrambo's expression and to her surprise it was cold and unforgiving. He walked away without a word and up onto a higher point to where it looked out onto the forest. His eyes squinted in anger and the wind whipped his hair and cape. His eyes scanned the area before his voice bellowed like thunder from Thor's hammer. "Come out, Gyasa. I know your there"
In the forest trees and earth were sent skyward and laugher echoed as a figure ran. Even from the distance Mushrambo know who it was with his eagled eyed vision. Gyasa ran like a demon. Rushing through the forest as unrated-able speed, the Enterran sped up the mountain just as quick and landed before the purple haired samurai. His smile seemed to spilt his face.
"So tell me, Mushrambo. How long did it take you figure it out?" Gyasa's words were bold and cut deep into the proud samurai.
"It took me not long, reptile" The super warrior spat. "Until I found your skin" Mushrambo's eyes thinned dangerously.
Gyasa laughed and smirked at Mushrambo with pleasure. "So do you think it will be a repeat of the last battle, Enterran?" The samurai didn't answer. He knew that Gyasa would be stronger now, more resilient to his attacks, but then again, Mushrambo hadn't even begun to warm up yet.
Estee looked on as Gyasa and Mushrambo stared each other down. The two standing like titans against the on coming blackened sky. "Be careful, Uncle Kutal" She whispered softly. The last thing on her mind was her brothers.
"You're a walking EnCard, Mushrambo, and when your gone" Gyasa eyes widened with madness "I'll absorb your cards and out rank even Rusphine herself" He laughed and suddenly Mushrambo drew his sword.
"Make your move, Gyasa so we may finish this" The samurai warned darkly.
"With pleasure" Gyasa raised a hand to the sky and shouted to the top of his lungs, "Snake gods, grant me power!" Lightning came down as if an arm from Gyasa's gods answered him and erupted the earth around him, the debris that was dug up from the lightning changed and morphed into EnCards, hundreds of them. Mushrambo looked on and remained still, his sword lowering. The cards swirled around Gyasa, like Sago and Kutal's EnCards did to Mushra, and through his mouth Gyasa absorbed them all. "Prepare for your end, samurai"
Gyasa mutated, his skin melted and reshaped itself as golden armour. Mushrambo looked on uninterested. Even with his face, Gyasa changed features to more bulky and possessed.
The high pitched voice almost made the samurais ears bleed, "Now you shall die, Enterran, and I'll crush you for the whole world to witness" Mushrambo said nothing. Even with the danger that threatened him his thoughts kept going back to that stone figure of Yakumo. He felt warmth from that cold surface when he caught her fall. Gyasa noticed the way Mushrambo ignored him, in his purple eyes he was miles elsewhere. Gyasa surprised attack Mushrambo and the samurai just react in time, using his sword to block the double-axe handed hit that came his way.
Once blocked Mushrambo used his speed to get out from under the bulk of Gyasa. The samurai raised his sword and attempted to hit Gyasa in the back but the reptile used the advantage that Mushrambo's purple cape got in the way and phased out of sight. The super Enterran swiftly looked around for Gyasa and then out of the corner of his eye he saw a small speck of gold against the black sky's back drop.
Gyasa brought his arms together and they formed a cannon. Golden light erupted from it like a dormant volcano and shot straight down upon Mushrambo. The samurai placed his sword in its scabbard and threw his hands upwards where purple light was flung skywards to collide with the golden light. The sky was brightened like dawn breaking into the late morning sky for a brief moment.
"I've got to get him away from the kittens…and Yakumo" Mushrambo looked upon the statue with one last glance, suddenly his heart feeling saddened. "What is wrong with me?" He questioned but shook his head. He couldn't be interrupted…not now. Mushrambo ran down off the mountain into the forest.
"Running already, are you?" Gyasa laughed in his new high pitched voice. He followed the samurai into the forest.
Ryuma sat cross legged in his chair. "Very good, Dark King. Your powers are returning. One better then the next, if you beat Hyper Gyasa you may prove to be a thorn in my side. However, every rose needs to be pruned"
Mushrambo ducked under a swing from Gyasa's fist and tried to counter attack with his own but it met only thin air. He cupped his hands together and spun on his heel firing a purple blast where he estimated Gyasa would be, he guessed correctly and Gyasa got the full frontal in the stomach. The reptile was thrown through trees and after him was a path of destroyed barks. Mushrambo ran down after him and drew out his sword. Gyasa got up with not even a scratch. Gyasa pulled a blade of his own out of nowhere and pulled it back, then with all his force it connected with Mushrambo's. The shockwave blew all the area round them clean of vegetation and formed into a battle field. The two titans struggled against each others strength for a few minutes as if testing when the other would crack first, with neither of them gaining ground them tried it again, Mushrambo swung his sword upright and Gyasa made a sweeping arc with his, the weapons hit again, another shockwave ripped through the forest.
Mushrambo slipped slightly and Gyasa took full advantage by putting more pressure behind his blade. Mushrambo begun to be pushed back and lost ground, the samurai grunted and furrowed his brow in determination. He pulled back letting Gyasa fall forward on his own weight and jumped Gyasa hit the ground and Mushrambo came down with his sword, aiming for Gyasa's curved back. But to the Enterran's surprise his sword dug itself into soft earth. "So…fast" Mushrambo just pulled his head back in time as Gyasa's blade skinned his cheek drawing blood, the purpled haired samurai grunted. After Gyasa's blade the reptile followed with a fist that connected perfectly into Mushrambo's jaw. The super Enterran stumbled backwards, but didn't loose heart. However one thing was worrying him. "What's wrong with me? I'm slower and weaker then I've ever been. Not even my power is what it used to be, this snake should have been beaten long ago…could 500 years really weaken me so greatly" Gyasa outstretched his arm and it formed into a snake head from the wrist, it unleashed a power blast that Mushrambo had to use his sword to block. He held it upwards with two hands gripping the handle tightly. Once again Mushrambo found himself being pushed backwards, his heels digging ever further into the ground.
Gyasa ended his onslaught seeing as Mushrambo stood against it, but when he finished the samurai dropped to one knee breathing heavily. "The legends about you were fake, Dark King" Mushrambo took in a sharp breath when Gyasa mentioned that name, to hear it again felt…wrong. But why, that what he was, the Dark King of Enterra, again images of Yakumo filled his head and this time it was from Mushra, Sago and Kutal's memories. Her long brown hair that flowed down her back and those big blue eyes that seemed also to perfect to exist, "I've never met her in my life, yet she consumes me?" Mushrambo looked on at Gyasa, "Could it just be the fact of the three who combined to free me? They seem to be close to the girl"
"They say you couldn't be stopped, yet look at you on your knees, Mushrambo" Gyasa laughed, "Once I destroy you, your card will be mine, then I will make Yakumo suffer" Mushrambo's grip tightened on his sword and he ran full frontal at Gyasa, the snake only having seconds to respond. Gyasa ducked out of the way and Mushrambo turned with a glare that could kill, his eyes dangerously thin and his features as dark as the sky, a perfect mimic of his former self.
"You forget, scum, that within you is the power of a thousand snakes. You need them just to be even with me, but that alone cannot stop me" Mushrambo turned to Gyasa and the reptile thought he was looking at the Dark King from 500 years ago, the stance was flawless. "I will crush you!" The words squeezed through gritting teeth. "You are mine"
"Then follow me" Gyasa shook the fear away and flew upwards, Mushrambo followed and the two Enterrans fought in the skies, light exploding all around as they collided. Each hit echoed rumbling thunder through out the valleys. Lightning fell around them as if nature itself was insulted by the clash of the warriors.
But eventually Gyasa got the upper hand and became merciless. Mushrambo fell from the sky like a sack of stones and hit the ground below, the valley where he'd left Yakumo and the kittens. He lay there bruised and tired. Gyasa brought his two hands together and they morphed into a cannon, a large one. From it golden light unleashed itself upon the earth below and the samurai took the attack full on. It exploded like an atomic bomb and Gyasa's laugh echoed for miles. "With these serpent powers I have defeated the legendary Mushrambo. Now I have the title of Enterra's Strongest."
His bodily formed shadow against the light of his own attack. He'd done it.
Mushrambo lay there, unmoving as the soft wind travelled over the ground and over him. He winced but could bring himself to talk. The once unstoppable Enterran now lay there like a new born puppy. His eyes opened but only slightly as they were heavy. "Yakumo…" He whispered. "Mushra…Sago…Kutal…" He grunted out through the pain that was putting him unconscious "Forgive me…I failed" The samurai felt himself sink into a pit of darkness.
Gyasa walked over and picked up the statue of Yakumo and laughed, "Now you will join your samurai" The red eyes on Gyasa glowed and the stone that encased Yakumo fell away. It took a minute or two but the girl started to breathe again, her gasps deep as if she had found water after a year in a desert. "Suffer by my hands, human" He held her by the hair and walked over to where Mushrambo lay.
Mushrambo lay on a floor, where around him was fog of purple and black shadow, his eyes were open but his body was too lazy to move. "I have failed" He pitied himself. "Gyasa cannot be beaten, I've tried everything but he stands tall and proud." The stench of failure corrupted his sense and suddenly his father seemed to stand over him. "Father…I've failed you like the rest. I've let you down" Tears pushed to overwhelm him but he bit back on them.
"Wake up" A dark whisper entered his ears and Mushrambo looked up to see himself standing at his feet, but his feature were dark and his body language was full of confidence.
"Who…are you?" Mushrambo asked, "What are you doing here?" An uneasy feeling filled the samurai's stomach.
The darker Mushrambo folded his arms and laughed, "I am you. Or I was once upon a time when we were unbeatable. Look at what I've become. Weak" He spat.
Mushrambo got to his feet, but his knees were weak and the samurai felt as if he would fall. "Gyasa is too powerful"
"Bullshit!" The darker half shouted back. "When we face two Enterran Generals long ago at the same time, did we give up? No we defeated them with ease. Why, it's because we were the Dark King. With power granted to us from the heavens" Mushrambo looked at himself with confusion. His darker half closed his eyes and unfolded his arms. "Let me explain something to you. Over two hours ago, three Enterrans fused to create you." His eyes opened and pierce his lighter half to the core. "Once we were freed after 500 years of imprisonment suddenly everything was back to normal, well you're wrong." The darker Mushrambo placed his palm out before him and then three cards materialized.
"We are now a combined form, why I haven't figured out yet. But you've been fighting as if it was 500 years ago. I'm afraid that doesn't work anymore. These three Enterrans" The EnCards floated up before the lighter half and hovered before him, he saw the EnCards of Mushra, Sago and Kutal. "Have been gifted with our power, spilt among them, it's time you stopped fight like one being and started to gain the power from these three, where our 'true' power lies"
"So we are nothing more then a desire of three Enterrans whenever we're called upon?"
"For now, yes, but if you want to beat Gyasa then you have to tap into the power of these Enterrans"
"But what about you? Are you part of me?"
"I am, but for now, I am not. You see a force has driven us apart; we are no longer the same Mushrambo. Maybe in time we will be one again, but lets wait" Then he vanished and left only the EnCards behind him. Mushrambo looked at them, silently pleading for help.
Gyasa held Yakumo's hair and looked down upon Mushrambo's body. "Here, human. Your pitiful protector" Yakumo opened her eyes and saw Mushrambo on the ground unmoving. Gyasa threw her down the pit to him, "Go to him"
Yakumo landed on her feet and ran over to the body, her knees weakened and she fell with her hands on her mouth. "Mushra…Sago…Kutal?" Her hands placed themselves under Mushrambo and turned him over to that his head rested in her lap, she cradled him like a mother would a son. "You did this to protect me" She knew that this was their combined form as she could feel the warmth of her friends in this samurai but another presence, stronger then the others. She looked up to see Gyasa watching, twisted by his own madness.
Tears filled her eyes and she cried silently to herself, "No more hurting, we'll make it to Shinzo, like we all promised. But now I'll protect you, like you did for me" Yet in her mind she gazed upon the samurai feeling as if she met him before, but where she couldn't even phantom. Yakumo's warm tears fell on the samurai's face.
But unknowing to her Gyasa walked up behind and grabbed her hair, his arm turning itself into a blade and he aimed it for her neck, his laughter stung her ears "Now die, human"
Mushrambo got on his knees and began to pray to his father. "Father, please guide me. I need your help"
"I'll protect you, like you did for me" A sweet voice called through the darkness and Mushrambo looked around.
"Yakumo" His voice whispered and suddenly an overpowering urge to help the human racked his senses. "I will" He got up off his knees and looked at the EnCards that still floated there with stern eyes. "Kutal" His eyes looked at the cats EnCard, "Within you is the courage of the lion, I beg of thee, lend me your strength" Then he looked across to Sago's, "Sago, please grant me the speed of the rivers" And then his eyes finally landed on Mushra which hovered higher then the rest. "Mushra, in you is the fire of the phoenix, allow me these flames" Mushrambo stepped back and gazed at the cards like a worshipper in a temple. "You have been gifted with my full power" The placed brightened as whimpering quietly echoed around, "Now I need it back to defeat Gyasa!"
Soft warmth filled Mushrambo as the EnCards began to glow. Then the power they held burst through like a bank broken in the rain season, pure white light plunged its way into Mushrambo as slowly his true strength returned.
A single bolt of white lightning separated Yakumo and Gyasa. Yakumo was thrown a few feet away where she cradled Mushrambo's fallen form. While Gyasa was only moved a few steps.
"Gyasa" A loud and confident voice said and with that Gyasa looked over his shoulder to see Mushrambo standing there with his fists balled and his features darkened again like his former self. "I give you this one chance to leave, take it or perish"
"You don't know when to quit" Gyasa barked, his face twisting into a mask of annoyance.
Purple light crackled around Mushrambo, "I warned you" His eyes closed, "I call upon the Flames of the Phoenix to bring you to ashes" From Mushrambo three large fire dragons formed and consumed the whole area. They gathered around Gyasa and the reptile knew he had no escape. "Kneel before my flames." Gyasa loud screech was all that could heard as fire burnt through Gyasa, earth and air.
Yakumo watched on as everything happened so fast. The fires died down in minutes leaving nothing, not even the ashes from the EnCards. Then a gloved hand reached down to her and Yakumo's blue eyes met dark purple iris's, "Are you ok" Yakumo accept the samurai's help and got to her feet.
"Yes I am" She spoke softly and they two looked at each other, and suddenly something filled Yakumo that she didn't experience before, lust.
Their moment was broken as Hakuba and the kitten came over, praising their new hero.
Ryuma watched on laughing. His hands clapping, "Bravo, Mushrambo, I must say what a fine performance. But enjoy your freedom while you have it, for soon you will be mine."
Mushra sat on his hover disc as the evening sun was setting, the sky was a deep red and orange and peace rained over the landscape, a far cry from earlier. "Wow it was amazing" Mushra answered Estee question. "I never felt so alive" He referred to the transformation.
"But how did you do it?" Chen asked as the kitten sat in Hakuba with Yakumo.
"I don't know, it just happened" Mushra answered.
"Combining three Enterrans into one is very difficult" Sago added and they looked at the water Enterran.
"It seemed almost too natural though" Kutal spoke, the big cat sitting in his four wheeled vehicle.
"What are you talking about?" Mushra asked.
"Well then your not yourself" Sago answered for Kutal. "You part of a large entity"
"I'll tell you what we are" Mushra stood up on his disc and outstretched his arms, "We are Mushrambo and he's the greatest"
"But it's scary when you fight" Estee spoke, remembering the way the samurai Enterran fought, vicious and unforgiving.
"Yakumo are you ok?" Mushra asked as Yakumo gazed at the mountains off in the distance where the battle took place.
The samurai filled her mind and she didn't know why, there was something about him. "Oh yes, I'm fine" She smile sweetly and Mushra brushed it off, the purple haired boy Enterran nodded.
"Ok…" Sago and Kutal noticed as well where the kitten just played having more interested in the clouds then what Yakumo said.
Well another chapter down, I liked the way it came out. Thank you all for your nice reviews. Hope you enjoyed this one as much as the others and I thought it would be interesting to have Mushrambo a slight skizo, but with a light and dark half what the catch? Guess you just have to find out
GSR
