The Crystal Armor: Part VI
The guys changed into their armors quickly and ran upstairs. They burst into Lori's room and stood there in awe at her armor. Then they noticed that neither the creature in the corner, nor Lori, moved or even blinked. Their eyes were locked and the beast was snarling. Lori didn't flinch and her now long hair billowed around her. "Who are you and what are you doing in Lori's room?" Ryo yelled at the beast, his twin kantana raised. "None of your business, ronin pest!" the creature hissed, making the others nearly gag and Kento (for once) throw up. Lori didn't move, just stared at it calmly. Then she spoke calmly but the others, recovered from the stench, didn't recognize her voice. "You've come to take me to your master of the dead, have you?" she said, voice unwavering and full of confidence. As the creature nodded, she said, "Then we shall battle somewhere else. I do not want this place destroyed or any of the other armors taken." Then she and the creature vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The others ran at where the creature was and attacked it with their weapons but to no avail..the creature and Lori were gone when the smoke cleared. "She's near the beach." Cye said. "How do you know?" Mick asked, holding up his halberd in both hands. He swung it around onto his shoulder, avoiding the sharp blades of the axe and stabbing the sharp, spear-like end at the window. Kento hit the back of Mick's head. "Cye's connected to the water.," Kento said, "Remember? He can sense her armor since she's near the ocean. So let's go!" They all began to run toward the jeep after changing into their subarmors. Mia looked at them baffled but didn't stop them, knowing something was wrong.
Lori stared coldly at the creature, seeing it in the last full rays of sunlight that turned the ocean a slight orangey-red. It's face was decayed, flesh missing in some areas, one eye missing, nose hanging by a strand of dead skin, and part of it's black skull revealed. The arms were actually tiger forepaws and the hind legs were kangaroo legs. It sneered and rasped, "So you wish to fight me, mortal girl?" "Aye." she replied calmly, "And you shall wish you're master kept you in the ground where you belong." She lifted up her mace and it began to shimmer and glow brightly. She swung it around her head and cried her sure-kill. "PURITY MACE BASH!!" She then slammed the mace on the ground in front of her. At first the glow from the mace disappeared. Then, the creature howled in pain. The rotten flesh on his face began to burn and tear away. The arms and legs ripped off and turned back into full animals. The creature's body and head fell to the ground and turned into black ash. She watched as the wind blew it away and walked over to the reincarnated kangaroo and tiger. "Better send you back where ye belong." She placed her hand on the animals and watched as green and brown smokes enveloped the animals, and vanish. She was about to leave when she sensed the force again. She turned and saw a young man there, clapping his hands and smirking. "Bravo, Nature," he said, "Bravo." He seemed to be around the age of 21, but she thought he might be older. His black cape billowed about him as he pushed back some of his long, black hair behind him, revealing coal- black eyes. She noticed he was holding something like puppet sticks in his hand. He tossed them to the ground. "I'm very impressed," he continued, "No mere mortal would have been able to stand up to my creation like that. Or bring two parts of its body alive again. I underestimated you my dear." "You must be this Youzen that thing told me about," she said. "Yes," he said, bowing at the waist, "That I am. Dark sorcerer actually. I wasn't expecting you to gain your armor so quickly. I hear that they cause nothing but curses." He sneered as he said this. She didn't answer but she clutched her mace tightly in both her hands. She then sensed something else. Six people were coming. She frowned. Not now.not them. she pleaded to herself. Her pleading was useless as she saw Ryo, Rowen, Sage, Mick, Kento, and Cye coming out of the forest near them. "What the." Mick started but was cut off as they noticed Youzen. "Finally, you pathetic ronins arrive," he said, not taking his eyes off of Lori, "I was starting to think I'd have to kill her off myself." "What are you talking about?" Kento yelled, "We'd never help you kill her! She's our friend and we'll help her kick your fat, evil ass back to wherever you came from!" To emphasize his point, Kento calls up his armor and the rest follow his example. As he hears Youzen laughing, his anger grows and rushes at him with his staff. "NO! STOP, KENTO!" Lori yelled. She ran and placed herself in front of Kento, holding him back. She saw as Youzen picked up the puppeteer sticks that he was smirking and he was nodding as Kento inched forward, in spite of her effort. "Let go!" Kento yelled as he pushed Lori away and charged full speed at Youzen. Youzen didn't move but lifted the sticks and smirked as called his attack. "HARDROCK! PUPPET CONTROL!" Sticky strings shot out from his sticks and headed straight for Kento, locking onto his elbows, knees, hands, feet, and even his head. Then they disappeared from sight. Kento froze in his spot and his arms dropped down to his side. He didn't know what was going on but as hard as he might, he could not lift his arms or move his legs. He glared as Youzen laughed and raised the puppet sticks in his hands. "Now," Youzen said menacingly, "Attack the one bearing the armor of nature!" Kento and the others couldn't believe it. Kento turned and lunged at Lori with his staff. She dodged it and hit the sand hard. She didn't know how to help Kento if Youzen was going to be using him against them. She spit out some of the sand from her mouth as Kento lunged at her again. He was stopped by Ryo and Mick and they were able to throw Kento back. "Kento, stop this!" Mick yelled at him. He and Ryo didn't notice Youzen behind them until they felt their arms go limp and they couldn't move. "Shit," Ryo muttered. He knew that the others couldn't protect her if they were being controlled. Did Lori know that before?
Rowen looked at the scene with puzzlement. How could Youzen control the armors with that kind of a weapon? The only thing he could think of to avoid the attack was to keep as far away from Youzen as possible. But how would they stop the others from killing Lori, the newest ronin in only a few short hours?
To Be Continued.
The guys changed into their armors quickly and ran upstairs. They burst into Lori's room and stood there in awe at her armor. Then they noticed that neither the creature in the corner, nor Lori, moved or even blinked. Their eyes were locked and the beast was snarling. Lori didn't flinch and her now long hair billowed around her. "Who are you and what are you doing in Lori's room?" Ryo yelled at the beast, his twin kantana raised. "None of your business, ronin pest!" the creature hissed, making the others nearly gag and Kento (for once) throw up. Lori didn't move, just stared at it calmly. Then she spoke calmly but the others, recovered from the stench, didn't recognize her voice. "You've come to take me to your master of the dead, have you?" she said, voice unwavering and full of confidence. As the creature nodded, she said, "Then we shall battle somewhere else. I do not want this place destroyed or any of the other armors taken." Then she and the creature vanished in a cloud of black smoke. The others ran at where the creature was and attacked it with their weapons but to no avail..the creature and Lori were gone when the smoke cleared. "She's near the beach." Cye said. "How do you know?" Mick asked, holding up his halberd in both hands. He swung it around onto his shoulder, avoiding the sharp blades of the axe and stabbing the sharp, spear-like end at the window. Kento hit the back of Mick's head. "Cye's connected to the water.," Kento said, "Remember? He can sense her armor since she's near the ocean. So let's go!" They all began to run toward the jeep after changing into their subarmors. Mia looked at them baffled but didn't stop them, knowing something was wrong.
Lori stared coldly at the creature, seeing it in the last full rays of sunlight that turned the ocean a slight orangey-red. It's face was decayed, flesh missing in some areas, one eye missing, nose hanging by a strand of dead skin, and part of it's black skull revealed. The arms were actually tiger forepaws and the hind legs were kangaroo legs. It sneered and rasped, "So you wish to fight me, mortal girl?" "Aye." she replied calmly, "And you shall wish you're master kept you in the ground where you belong." She lifted up her mace and it began to shimmer and glow brightly. She swung it around her head and cried her sure-kill. "PURITY MACE BASH!!" She then slammed the mace on the ground in front of her. At first the glow from the mace disappeared. Then, the creature howled in pain. The rotten flesh on his face began to burn and tear away. The arms and legs ripped off and turned back into full animals. The creature's body and head fell to the ground and turned into black ash. She watched as the wind blew it away and walked over to the reincarnated kangaroo and tiger. "Better send you back where ye belong." She placed her hand on the animals and watched as green and brown smokes enveloped the animals, and vanish. She was about to leave when she sensed the force again. She turned and saw a young man there, clapping his hands and smirking. "Bravo, Nature," he said, "Bravo." He seemed to be around the age of 21, but she thought he might be older. His black cape billowed about him as he pushed back some of his long, black hair behind him, revealing coal- black eyes. She noticed he was holding something like puppet sticks in his hand. He tossed them to the ground. "I'm very impressed," he continued, "No mere mortal would have been able to stand up to my creation like that. Or bring two parts of its body alive again. I underestimated you my dear." "You must be this Youzen that thing told me about," she said. "Yes," he said, bowing at the waist, "That I am. Dark sorcerer actually. I wasn't expecting you to gain your armor so quickly. I hear that they cause nothing but curses." He sneered as he said this. She didn't answer but she clutched her mace tightly in both her hands. She then sensed something else. Six people were coming. She frowned. Not now.not them. she pleaded to herself. Her pleading was useless as she saw Ryo, Rowen, Sage, Mick, Kento, and Cye coming out of the forest near them. "What the." Mick started but was cut off as they noticed Youzen. "Finally, you pathetic ronins arrive," he said, not taking his eyes off of Lori, "I was starting to think I'd have to kill her off myself." "What are you talking about?" Kento yelled, "We'd never help you kill her! She's our friend and we'll help her kick your fat, evil ass back to wherever you came from!" To emphasize his point, Kento calls up his armor and the rest follow his example. As he hears Youzen laughing, his anger grows and rushes at him with his staff. "NO! STOP, KENTO!" Lori yelled. She ran and placed herself in front of Kento, holding him back. She saw as Youzen picked up the puppeteer sticks that he was smirking and he was nodding as Kento inched forward, in spite of her effort. "Let go!" Kento yelled as he pushed Lori away and charged full speed at Youzen. Youzen didn't move but lifted the sticks and smirked as called his attack. "HARDROCK! PUPPET CONTROL!" Sticky strings shot out from his sticks and headed straight for Kento, locking onto his elbows, knees, hands, feet, and even his head. Then they disappeared from sight. Kento froze in his spot and his arms dropped down to his side. He didn't know what was going on but as hard as he might, he could not lift his arms or move his legs. He glared as Youzen laughed and raised the puppet sticks in his hands. "Now," Youzen said menacingly, "Attack the one bearing the armor of nature!" Kento and the others couldn't believe it. Kento turned and lunged at Lori with his staff. She dodged it and hit the sand hard. She didn't know how to help Kento if Youzen was going to be using him against them. She spit out some of the sand from her mouth as Kento lunged at her again. He was stopped by Ryo and Mick and they were able to throw Kento back. "Kento, stop this!" Mick yelled at him. He and Ryo didn't notice Youzen behind them until they felt their arms go limp and they couldn't move. "Shit," Ryo muttered. He knew that the others couldn't protect her if they were being controlled. Did Lori know that before?
Rowen looked at the scene with puzzlement. How could Youzen control the armors with that kind of a weapon? The only thing he could think of to avoid the attack was to keep as far away from Youzen as possible. But how would they stop the others from killing Lori, the newest ronin in only a few short hours?
To Be Continued.