Dani's arms screamed in pain from being tied behind her back and pinned underneath her for hours. After Dais had used them to gloat over the Ronin Warriors, they had been transferred to cells deep within the castle, their gags removed. The room she was in was entirely dark, and very, very cold. She shivered, listening intently. She could hear faint scuffles around her, and dearly hoped that they came from Mia or Yuli and not unidentified creatures that liked dark dungeons. She had lain silently for a long time, waiting.

She heard no feet; it didn't seem as if a guard was down here with them. Undoubtedly there was one nearby, though. She struggled to sit up, her arms unable to give her any aid. "Mia?" she whispered. "Are you there?"

"Yes," a quiet voice replied. It seemed like it came from a nearby cell. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Dani answered. "You? Where's Yuli?"

"I'm here," came the answer from farther down. The boy's voice sounded absolutely broken and miserable.

"Are you hurt, Yuli?" Mia inquired, a motherly tone of worry in her voice.

"I guess not," Yuli said. "Not really hurt. I can move." Mia let out a sigh of relief.

"Good. Me too. Dani? Are you ready?"

"Oh, I'm ready," Dani said, a grin spreading over her face. She summoned her protective gear. She felt the familiar weight of the light armor spread across her body, giving her warmth and rejuvenated strength. She stretched out her arms, easily snapping the cords that had bound her, then stood up. She took in a deep breath, shaking out the pain as her arms woke up, feeling the sharp sensation of pins and needles in them. She felt around her, finding the bars at the entrance to her cell. She grasped two of them and pulled them apart, then stepped out of her cell.

A faint glow emanated from far away. She felt around her and found herself to be in a hallway lined by more cells. "Mia?" she whispered again. "Help me find you."

"I'm over here. Follow my voice," came Mia's answer. Using her fingers to guide her along the wall, Dani walked to where the sound came from. She could hear Mia moving around slightly in the cell. Once again, Dani bent the bars apart, then stepped inside. She found Mia and quickly snapped her bonds. "Thank you," Mia said, rubbing her wrists. "Go get Yuli."

Dani nodded. Through the same procedure, she quickly found the young boy and freed him as well. "Thanks Dani!" Yuli said brightly. He seemed to have bounced back quickly from the pain and suffering he had experienced. In fact, he now seemed very excited to be on an adventure.

The three gathered in the dank hallway between the cells. Mia and Yuli were shivering slightly, but Dani was no longer cold in her light armor. "Come on," Dani said. "Let's follow that light."

Together, they picked their way through the hallway, walking slowly to avoid hitting a wall or tripping over things. Yuli kicked something by accident, which skittered across the floor. "What was that?" Yuli asked in surprise. Mia shushed him, and the three froze, listening intently to see if the sound had summoned someone. They relaxed after they heard no new noises.

"I'm sure it was just something someone dropped," Dani said, glancing towards where the object had gone. The growing light was dim, so Dani told herself that she was only imagining the white gleam of a bone. "Let's just keep moving."

A few minutes later, they reached the source of the light - a small, windowed port in a door. Dani squinted against the light, her eyes adjusting, then peered through the round window. "Guards. Two of them," she told Mia and Yuli. "Stand back."

"Be careful," Mia warned her. Dani didn't reply. She briefly considered summoning the Armor of the Tempest, but decided against it. The act of summoning would alert the guards and give them a chance to call the alarm. She glanced behind her to make sure Mia and Yuli were far enough away, took in a deep breath, then kicked the door down. The door crumpled inward, flopping with a loud crash onto the floor. Immediately, the two guards leapt to their feet, but Dani was on them before they could shout. With a few well-aimed attacks, she felled Talpa's two minions.

"Come on," she hissed, waving Mia and Yuli forward. "That door made a lot of noise. We have to get out of here!" They found the door and hurried out of it.


"TALPA!" Ryo yelled at the great fortress gates, which shimmered in the fading evening light. "Here I am, Talpa!" Behind him stood the other four Ronins, their arms crossed, wearing only the undergear for their armors.

Slowly, as before, the gates rumbled open. Anubis stood there, smirking with pleasure. "Here to turn yourselves in?" he sneered.

"For three civilians?" Ryo asked with a raised eyebrow. "Doesn't seem quite fair."

"Yet here you are," Anubis answered.

"Here we are," Ryo agreed, eyes flashing. "But five wearers of mystical armor for three regular humans? I don't think so." Anubis watched him, considering. "So here's our offer. One Ronin for all three."

"Two," Anubis spat.
"One," said Ryo firmly, glaring at the dark warlord. Anubis shrugged.

"Stay by a screen tonight, Ronins," he said as the door began to close. "We'll have a special on for you. I like to call it 'Torturing Your Little Friends.' I think you'll enjoy it quite a lot."

"Wait!" Sage snapped, stepping forward. "Two. I'll go, too." Ryo turned and gave Sage a withering, furious glare, but said nothing.

"Ah," Anubis said with a smile. The door stopped moving. "Very well, then." He turned his gaze to Ryo. "Let me guess. It's you and Wildfire, am I correct?"

"You are," Ryo said, voice angry as he still looked at Sage.

"Wonderful," Anubis said with a smile. "Come in, then." Without glancing back at their friends, Ryo and Sage stepped through the door into Talpa's fortress. Immediately, they were surrounded. The two boys didn't fight as soldiers yanked their arms behind their backs and snapped thick, metal handcuff devices on them. "Undoubtedly, you have a plan of rescue and escape, right?" Anubis asked them. "Don't try it. You will lose. Besides, remember that we still have your little friends hidden away. I'd hate to have to hurt them."

"Don't you dare," Ryo hissed. Anubis shrugged, a smile dancing on his face.

"We do have three, after all. We only anticipated two, so that means that at least one is expendable."

Sage made to lunge at him, but was held back by guards. Anubis laughed. "You are powerless here, Halo."

"You need to release them," Ryo said firmly. "That was the deal."

"Oh, that. Yes, we will get around to it." He waved nonchalantly. "However, I'm confused. Where is your friend? The purple one? Talpa is very, very eager to have a chat with him." Sage and Ryo looked resolutely forward, not making eye contact with one another.

"We don't know. He doesn't stay with us." Ryo said

"Pity," Anubis said. "Well, I'm afraid we can't release your friends until he is found."

"What?" Ryo demanded, nearly spitting with anger. "That wasn't the deal!"

"Consider the deal changed," Anubis said with a shrug. He looked at the goons. "Take them away." The green armored soldiers poked and prodded the two Ronins, leading them away.

"You won't get away with this!" Sage snapped. "There are still four of us out there."

"We will see," Anubis replied, his smile never faltering.