I do not own any of the characters. Please enjoy and review!

Chocolove (Joco): Anybody to laugh at the jokes yet? My grandson's jokes are funny!

Me: Next chapter.

Anna: What's this chapter about?

Me: Um, uh, I really want to tell you, but you have to wait? (Preparing for Anna's rage)

Anna: (Shrugging) Oh well. It won't matter.

Me: (Thinking inside="I'm still alive!")


Chapter 7

It had been five days since they left the resort. Akira had recovered from his injury though, he was pretty mad about Keir. Lexi was told what had happen but to their surprise, she didn't seem too upset that she had Rei's spirit. The group was head to Scarlet Town, a beautiful town where there was a legend from centuries ago about a large scarlet hidden away somewhere in the town. The people of the town protect it since a lot of greedy miners that wanted the precious jewel to themselves.

What was going on that night? Daichi kept asking himself the same question ever since Keir showed up. How did he know us? Could he have been the person that had dropped the piece of white fabric that Annie and I found? Keir did have a giant as his ghost. The giant could have been the one who made those giant footprints! Daichi stole a glance at Annie. She had her eyes close as she walks as if she was thinking about something. He had absolutely no idea how she was able to do that. Suddenly, she opens her eyes and chocolate-brown met sea-green. He gave her a small smile to which she gave him an emotionless look back.

They were in the desert north of Scarlet Town. There was sand as far as one's eyes' could see. Cactuses were spending out in the vast land. Tumble weeds bounded in the soft breeze that came every so often. Everybody was moving along fine, but due to the sun's rays, they went slower than they could have. The group would reach Scarlet Town by tomorrow night at the rate they were moving.

"How do you think that guy knows us?" Rei was now beside him.

Daichi shrugged. "I don't know. He had a ghost so that must mean he is in the tournament." he said slowly. "But he said that he would be the future ruler. Do you think he means the Spirit Master?"

"Keir as the ruler? No way because I'm going to win." Rei smirk. Daichi grin.

"Yeah right. You know there are many people who want to win that they would do anything in their power to succeed?" Daichi pointed out.

"You think that would stop me?"

"No, but at least I tried."

"You didn't succeed."

"I never say I would."

"Good, because if you tried to stop me, you're dead for life." Rei grin evilly.

"I plan to keep on living." Daichi simply said.

"To marry that fiancée of yours?" Rei smirk.

Daichi smirk back. "What about you? Got Lexi to like you yet?"

Rei growls. "Laugh it up." Daichi chuckled.

The girls were behind the boys, talking among themselves.

"I can't believe I miss that when that jerk came!" Lexi exclaim, her hands went up in the air. The girls were talking about Keir. "Rei had to find out if I had a spirit!"

"Just who does Keir think he is?" Serena asked. Annie nodded silently.

I wonder if Daichi thinks that the white fabric we found belongs to Keir? Annie thought. I felt a different kind of spirit power from him than normal spirits. His oversoul is really different. An oversoul is when a shaman fuses his spirit with an object that the spirit is familiar with. You can create your oversoul many times as long as you still have mana. You can change your oversoul in many ways. Once you lose all of your mana, you can't create your oversoul and you will lose in a shaman fight.

At nightfall, the gang decided to take a break and get some rest to get an early start on the next day. Yuki made them a small campfire that glowed in the darkness. Beautiful shining stars came out. You could see the long spray of stars that form the Milky Way. The group discussed about what they were going to do and such.

"I think we should focus in getting our pieces for our Oracle Bell instead of worrying about Keir." Rei said, crossing his arms. Daichi nodded.

"He's powerful, all right. We hardly know anything about him. Our best option is to continue on our journey."

"There's no sense in worrying about it." Annie said.

"Lady Annie is correct. We should focus on our main mission before anything else." Amidamaru said, his face was serious.

"Master, Amidamaru is right." Bason and the other guardian spirits agreed.

"Hey, after we find the piece to this region, where will you go next?" Lexi asked, curiously. Everybody turn to Daichi.

He shrugs. "I don't know. Let's just see what going to happen here first."

"We should get some rest." Amidamaru said. Daichi nodded and everybody went to their blankets.

Daichi lay staring at the night sky. He wonders what will soon come before them. He smile and close his eyes. He'll find out soon enough.


"So this is Scarlet Town?" The gang had at last reach Scarlet Town. They were just about to enter the archway when a spray of sharp arrows flew and landed right in front of them, stopping them in their footsteps. The boys quickly made their oversoul and Lexi pull out her whip. Annie held her beads and Serena gripped her bag tightly.

A man walks out and stood before them. He was lean and tall. He wore red clothing and had a tattoo on his forehead. Behind stood others who also wore red clothing and had the same tattoo as the man but it was in different places.

"Are you seeking the treasure?" the man asked, his voice was bold and loud. Daichi assume that he was the leader.

"No, we're travelers." Daichi said.

"You process spirits. Are you shamans?" they nodded.

"Even so, they could still take our treasure!" a man that was younger than the leader step up. Daichi saw a long sword sticking out of the long robe that he wore.

The leader held up a hand to stop the man. "Enough, Yoshi. They are not evil. I do not sense it in their spirits." he turns to face them. "Come, we will show you our town." he began to walk away. The others had made a parting for him. The gang looked at each other and followed the leader.

The town had red everywhere. There were also colors that went well with it as well that lit up the whole town. People came out of their houses and greeted them warmly. They could see many shops where sellers tried to sell their goods and fought over customers. There were many alleys that led to other places. Large and small houses were along the streets. The town was fill with joy and pride. Daichi notice that everybody in the town mostly wore red clothing and had the same tattoo somewhere on themselves. He saw children playing with each other and adults discussing business.

The leader soon brought them to a small dojo. It was in very fine shape with rough wood all around. The sign says "Shaman Jisu". Daichi look at the leader curiously. He also saw that the others was confuse too.

The leader saw and smiles. "My name is Genma. I am the leader of Scarlet Town. I'm sorry about the arrows, we often find miners that want the treasure that we spent centuries to guard. We don't let outsiders come in, but you five are seeking a piece for your Oracle Belt, correct?" The boys nodded.

"We also guard a piece as well as our jewel. Do you wish to gain the piece?" The boys nodded again. "Very well. Go inside to meet the guardian. The girls and your ghosts will have to stay outside with us. Also leave your weapons to the girls as well." Daichi handed his sword to Annie and Rei threw his spear lightly to Lexi who caught it with eased. Yuki gave Serena his pendulum case while Akira also gave her his snowboard. Charlie didn't have a weapon except his gloves which grows sharp claws when he fuses with Mic. Shamans could also have their spirits go into them to fight as one. The girls carry the boys' weapons and along with the ghosts, they follow Genma away and the boys walk in the dojo.

Inside the dojo, was nothing except a small person wearing Patch Tribe clothing that was seated in the front of the dojo. The person raises its head. The boys were shock when they saw an animal mask covering the Patch member's face. The person rose to its feet and stare at them. The person was no more than to about the boys' waist yet it stood straight.

"You wish for a piece for your Oracle Bell?" it spoke. They nodded.

"Um, are you a guy or a girl?" Akira asked. The person ignores him.

"Very well, your test begins now." the person snaps its fingers. Five moving puppets appear and stood in a stance that meant that they were really to fight.

"Defeat these puppets and you get your piece." with that being said, the person sat back down and cross its arms together.

Rei punch a puppet nearby in the head. It went down, but soon came back up again. He grits his teeth and kicked it. Like before it went back up again. Daichi dodge a flying kick from a different puppet and quickly strike it in the stomach, if it had one. Like the other, it also raises back up.

"What on earth are these made of?" Akira said, as he whips around and struck a puppet on its legs, causing it to fall down. It rose back up and ready to fight. "Unbreakable steel?"

"Do not use your power to destroy things. There are other ways to use them." the mask person said from its spot in the front of the dojo.

"What other things can we do other than destroy?" Rei asked. He punches another puppet and soon frowns as it stood before him again.

"There are lots of ways. Why, you could bring in the cow, set up the lawn, and feed the chickens-"

"Um, that's farming. Not shaman things." Akira interrupted. He and Charlie stood side by side fighting two puppets that launch at them. They quickly duck under, grab the puppets' string legs and flung them to the ground.

"These puppets are full of your mana, right?" Yuki said as he continues to dodge a puppet's moves. He was trying to find a pattern in the puppet's moves to be able to counter it. This is why he is the smartest one out of all of them. He thinks before he acts.

The mask person nodded. "You five are slow."

"Slow? On what? Like an old turtle!" Charlie turns the question into another one of his jokes, stopping to look at the mask person. The others did too, for once not hitting Charlie for his bad jokes.

"What do you think shamanetic powers are? And also, that joke was horrible." the mask person's voice boomed. They look at him in confusion. The mask person shook its head in disappointment.

Charlie quickly recovered. "Actually, I think it sparkled!"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, there was a huge crash that shook the dojo. The boys look up to see that the roof of the dojo had disappeared. They took another look and saw a barrier that cover the dojo's inside, but not the outside. A huge robotic lion landed on the roof. It shook the dojo violently, causing a side of the dojo to fall apart.

They look over and saw Annie, Lexi and Serena fighting along side Genma and the other warriors that protects Scarlet Town in its time of need. There was many robotic animals just like the lion on top of the roof that was attacking them. They seem to come out of nowhere and the boys could see that the robotic animals were a lot stronger than usual animals. They attack everywhere and a few had ganged up on the girls and Genma as well as the other warriors. Surprisingly, they didn't come close to the barrier like they were program not to.

Annie had summoned her two Shikigamis spirits. They were once two old nature spirits that soon turn into demons. They look very similar to ogres and their names are Zenki and Kouki. Zenki was blue and had only one horn that was in the middle of its head as well as had seven eye sockets in the front of its huge face that were together like petals around the middle. Its eye sockets were shaped like the "Seven Star Tree of Renewal". It had huge razor sharp teeth like fangs. Kouki was red and had two horns on either side of its huge head. Its eye sockets were shaped like the "Five Point Star" and unlike Zenki, it had only one eye in the socket in the middle of the star. Both were very strong fighters and had their own style of battling as well as good with weapons.

Lexi was throwing Jufu Talismans to boost Akane's powers as well as fighting off robotic animals with her silver whip. Jufu Talismans are yellow strips of spirit paper that dàoshìs use to control their ghosts. They are also use to boost a ghost's powers. A dàoshì writes the talismans with their own blood in able to have it in affect.

Serena was helping the others by using her kokkuri board form divinations. She told everybody the robotic animals' moves before they even happen and the rest were able to defend themselves. Serena was one of the best students of using divination in the Asakura household. Her spirits that help her do her divination were named Conchi and Ponchi. They were two animal-like mischief makers spirits so Serena keeps them lock up in her kokkuri board unless she needs them. Conchi was a fox spirit whereas Ponchi was a raccoon spirit. They were both lazy, cranky old geezers. She can create a crossbow that could shoot guided arrows at will when she makes her oversoul with her spirits.

Genma and the other warriors were fighting the endless amount of robotic animals as best as they can. The warriors were also shamans and had a pretty decent amount of mana as their oversoul. They were fighting pretty hard, but not enough to stop the attacks. Genma was lost in his rage for the robots to see clearly through their movements and was making reckless attacks. The other warriors were also blinded by their rage and were determined to protect their people as well as the jewel. Daichi spotted the young warrior, Yoshi, who had tried to attack them at the gate was destroying as many robots as he could, but, he cannot win if he, as well as the other warriors doesn't overcome their fear for their jewel and the anger for the heartless scumbags who had destroy many of their people to try to get their hands on the Scarlet Jewel. The boys watch as one by one, the warriors fell and laid on the cold ground, no longer breathing as the robotic animals tear their flesh and bones apart. Their spirits will be sent to the King Of Spirits where they will either be sent to heaven or hell.

The town's people had disappear into the many tunnels that their ancestors have made so many centuries ago for if ever this would happen, they will go deep into the Scarlet Jewel's chamber. The legend of the Scarlet Jewel lies resting there as well as the creature within.

In the dojo, the boys stood emotionless at the scene in front of them. Their hair covers their faces. The mask person watched them careful, knowing that they had finally understood. The person reaches up and tosses away its mask. The mask person was an old man who had a large scar under his right eye.

"You are unable to help them unless you get stronger." he said, standing up. "You cannot leave this dojo unless you complete the test. Now, what will you do? Will you give up or will you avenge your fallen friends?"

The boys continue to stay silent. All was still in the small dojo. The battle continued to rage outside as weapons attack one another. Daichi slowly began to glow with power. It rage around him and the others have started to glow as well. Their mana was increasing rapidly as it forms a tornado around them. The old man grin, this is their power alone without the help of spirits. One by one, the mindless puppets melt due to the rage in the boys' powers. They had passed the test and the barrier fell apart slowly by starting at the top. The robotic lion crash down to the middle of the dojo with a loud Boom! The boys didn't even flinch.

"Ahh! Somebody helps me!" a girl's voice shouted out. Daichi turn and saw a girl about their age who was about to be killed by a giant robotic elephant. She was slowly backing away from the robotic creature. Annie, Lexi and Serena were too busy fighting to notice.

She had flaming red hair with pale pink highlights that was in two braided pigtails which flows down to her waist. Like the other people in Scarlet Town, she too wears red. She wore a simple red dress with yellow lining that reach to her knees. There was a striking design on her dress that shows a unusual yellow flower and had a symbol in the middle. She wore a golden locket around her neck and a small golden metal bracelet. She had red flats with yellow flowers on the end. A golden circle rested around her head and her sky-blue eyes were filled with tears. She had a bird spirit who was a falcon with gray and blue sharp feathers and had a silver beak with piercing fiery-red eyes.

The elephant stomped its front legs hard on the ground. It continues to stomp and was making an earthquake. The girl fell to the ground and her ghost flaps its wings and tried to help her. The elephant gave out a massive roar and flung its long, strong trunk at the girl. She screams and holds up her hands in front of her face as if ready to protect herself from her doom.

"Hey, why don't you fight somebody your own size?" Akira had jump out of the hole of the barrier before it had completely broken apart and had frozen the elephant right in its tracks. It was a robotic ice sculpture now. Akira had put Corey into a stick that Serena had carved for him long ago. It was a special kind of stick that was born in their tribe and it was called an Inkupawci. It had markings of their tribe that was neatly carved and was about seven inches long. It had a mixture of black and brown wood and had a sharp point at the end. They bring good luck if they were carved by someone who cares about you.

Akira's oversoul was different now and was a lot smaller than his snowboard oversoul. He grins at the girl and holds out his hand.

"Need any help?" he asks. She nodded and took his hand to which he pull her up from the ground.

"You better take cover. I got some business to take care of." Akira turns back to the robotic animals. He had an intense glare on his face. He clutches his fists and his eyes glow. In his tribe, the Ainu have always respect nature for teaching them to survive in the cold wilderness. They are one with nature. Akira had grown up with animals and minutians so he holds great respect for them as well as for the environment. He didn't like how somebody made robotic animals that were lifeless.

"How dare somebody make lifeless robotic animals to do their bidding?! Those pathetic losers have no respect for nature! They're going to pay. BIG time." Akira narrows his glowing eyes. His power was full of rage, yet he was still in control of his feelings.

"Cool it. For an ice shaman, you can't cool down your own fire?" Rei said smirking. He and the others had jump out of the barrier as well.

"Okay, fire. What does the match say to the fuel?" Charlie began, but Rei knock his head and he fell on the ground.

"I could cool it. Let the thrashing begin," Akira smirk back and slam his fists together. He looks back at the girl. "Can you fight?" She nodded and had a look of determination on her face. She quickly made her oversoul with her spirit.

They ran to join the girls who were the only ones left that were battling the robots. The girls threw them their weapons and they create their oversoul.

Daichi duck as a gorilla robot swung its strong arms at him. It gave a roar and pound its crest loudly with it's mightily fists. Daichi jump up and slash the gorilla in half. The halves blast into pieces and bits of metal flew in the air.

He fails to see a slithering snake soon wrapping itself around his legs. He tried to get out of its hold and thrash violently. He bit down on his teeth and focuses his power on the snake's eyes. The snake was caught off guard and was shaking its head back and forth. Daichi seized the chance and melted the metal snake.

He looks over at what the others were holding up. They were all fine except for a few bruises and scars but other than that, they were doing pretty well in defending themselves from the robots. A sudden feeling came over him and he whacks his arm behind him. He look down to see three robotic mice were lying at his feet. He creates a barrier around himself and bent down to examine the robotic animals. He ignores the cries from the robotic animals as they tried to attack him but was sent back flying and landing in the dust that all of the fighting was causing. The mouse all had a small red tag whap around their necks. It shows a picture of the mouse and small circles all over the body. Pressure points, Daichi thought as he gave a frown before it quickly turn into a smirk. Whoever made these and then tagging their weaknesses are pretty dumb.

"Oi! Attack them at their pressure points! It's their weakness!" he let the barrier fall and call out to his friends. They all nodded. Daichi knew that the rest of the boys knew about pressure points, but he didn't know about the girls. He soon smiled when he saw Annie having her spirits attack the robots at a bunch of different pressure points.

"Ha, ha. Well done. I didn't think you would have defeated my animals so easily. No wonder Master Keir respects you so much, Daichi Asakura." a voice said from above them. They all look up and saw a tall man riding on a robotic bird who looked like a mad scientist with the crazy hair, large glasses and a long white lab coat that had two lab beakers fill with a mixture of red and blue liquid in one bottle and purple and yellow in the other. The man snaps his fingers and the robotic animals stopped.

Daichi narrow his eyes at the mention of Keir. "What do you mean "Master"? Who are you anyway?"

The man gave out a cruel laugh that echo in the air. "My name is Dr. Lipling. I am as you would call it, a minion of Master Keir's. He has many followers. I create these robots and went to attack you because Master Keir wanted to test your strength."

"More like Dr. Loopy." Charlie remarks. Daichi stole a glance at Akira. He could tell that his friend was going to lose it any minute now. He frowns and hopes that Akira would be able to control his anger.

"You made these robots? You destroy Genma and the other warriors just because you wanted to test our strength?" Akira had his bangs over his eyes as he stood really still. He looks up with anger in his eyes. The girl was looking at him, worried. "You're dead!" Akira jump up into the air. He then creates an oversoul with his snowboard and uses it to float in the air.

"Say good-bye." he came up behind the scientist and whacks him on the head, hard. Dr. Lipling duck just out of reach and press a button on a remote control. Massive flocks of robotic birds suddenly surround them. Some took a diving swoop at Akira. He jump up and use the cold air to freeze the birds. He swirled around and creates an icy tornado. The frozen birds drop dead to the ground and made a loud crash. The tornado also shook the bird that Dr. Lipling. The doctor grabs hold of one of the feathers of the bird and growl at Akira. Soon, the wings on the bird started to have blue frost and it started to go down. Akira stops his tornado and watch. Dr. Lipling open a hatch on the bird's neck and pour the beaker with the red and blue liquid into the hatch. The bird started to glow red and the frost on its wings started to melt. Steam was seen in the air as the frost quickly melted and the doctor was back in the air level with Akira, smirking.

"There are robotic. They are made by a genius such as myself. Don't think so highly of yourself just because you have an elemental spirit."

Akira scowls and landed on the bird the other side of the doctor. "I don't. And you have no right to create a heartless animal. Don't you know anything about nature?"

"Who cares about nature? Soon, mankind will rule over the environment so say good-bye to your so-called nature!" Dr. Lipling gave out a laugh.

Akira flew past the doctor and thrashes the bird's head. Dr. Lipling struggled to stay on as his flight rock back and forth and then started to fall. Akira wave Dr. Lipling's remote control and the other beaker from his lab coat in the doctor's surprise and angry face.

"Give me that!" Dr. Lipling lunged for the two items but he miss. Akira grins evilly and wrap his hands tightly around the two items making them frozen solid. He then brought the two items toghther and smashed them into tiny pieces that crumpled into the ground.

All at once, the robotic animals started to shake and soon crumple to the ground in a matter of minutes. Gravity pulls the robotic bird down along with Dr. Lipling as soon as the remote control was crush. Charlie quickly made his oversoul into a yellow cushion that looked like a giant lump of pudding. Dr. Lipling landed in the mass of the oversoul. Akira floated next to him smirking.

"Now, what should we do with you?" Akira began.

"Leave him to us." a voice said behind them. They turn around to see four elders and all of them were wearing ruby clothing and all of them wore identical yellow pieces of cloth around their right wrist.

"Who are you?" Akira asked. He landed on the ground holding Dr. Lipling down on the ground with an ice rope. Charlie had dropped his oversoul as well as the rest of them.

"The Four Red Elders!" the girl exclaim. She rushes over to them and smiled. The Four Red Elders? Daichi thought. He suddenly understood. They are the elders of Scarlet Town! They make important decisions with the leader of the town. They also are the guardians of the Scarlet Jewel.

"Come. We must see what must be done with this scum." a short old man step up. "My name is Driter."

The other three guardians introduce themselves as Tinderela, an old woman with a warm smile, but her eyes show that she was merciless towards outsiders; Chika, a tall old woman with vicious eyes and a sly smirk on her beautiful pale face; and Briht, a smiling old man that was wearing a huge red hat that was far too big for him.

"We will decide what will happen to him with the rest of the clan." Chika said.

"Shouldn't we get a say in it too?" Daichi said out of the blue. The elders look at him in surprise. "After all, he came here because of us."

"That may be, but he attacked our town and as the elders of Scarlet Town, it should be our choice as well as Marika's here." Tinderela said slowly as she gestured to the girl.

"Hi! My name is Marika Blaze. My dad was Genma who you all met." Marika's eyes were filling with tears when she mentions his now dead father. Tinderela and Chika tried to comfort her as they led her away from the group.

Akira growls. He grabs Dr. Lipling by the collar. "You didn't have to kill her father and the other warriors you jerk! They didn't have to die because you wanted to test our strength!"

"Yeah! Couldn't you just ask?" Charlie cut in. Mic nodded his furry yellow with brown spots head as if saying that he agrees with Charlie.

"Besides, why would Keir want a weakling like you to be his follower anyways?" Yuki asked while Chloe smile sweetly at the doctor. Rei nodded.

Dr. Lipling's eyes were filling with fear. "I'm sorry! I..." Now that he doesn't have his robotic animals, the doctor was pretty weak.

"Sorry doesn't undo what already happen!" Akira shouted. Corey floated next to him and tried to hold him back.

"Akira, calm down. Wait until the meeting." Daichi said calmly. Akira gave one last glare before he released the doctor's collar. Dr. Lipling breathes in really fast. Daichi grab the ice rope from Akira. He helped the doctor get up and pull him towards the direction the two elders and Marika went. The others followed.