The
quote was something I just happened to find that fit really well, so don't ask
about it. I meant to put these chapters
up earlier, I really did! Turned out I
was a little busier than I first figured (relatives in town). But anyway, you asked for them:
Oh,
yeah: Disclaimer: I don't
own Ronin Warriors.
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Whatever
I fear the most is whatever I see before me.
Whenever
I let my guard down, whatever I was ignoring.
Whatever
I fear the most is whatever I see before me.
Whatever
I have been given, whatever I have been.
Whatever
I Fear-T.T.W.S.
_ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Cye
awoke with something similar to if not completely alike a hangover. Even though he did not drink, he was sure
the people that held him did. His head
spun sickeningly making the headache he had even worse than is was before. Every muscle in his body hurt and he could
feel shackles binding his wrists and ankles. Pain was all he was aware of. Once he gathered the concentration, he opened his eyes and took a look
at his surroundings.
A
small, almost spent, candle was the only thing lighting the dark cell. A blue flame reached out with azure tendrils
to gently caress the wall. The darkest
corners of the cell seemed to hold living shadows that danced back and forth in
the candlelight, cackling uneasily all the while.
None
of those things seemed to matter as much as how deathly cold it was in that
dark room. It was so intense that Cye
found himself beginning to grow weak. Not sounds came to his ears; the great-varied world outside had been
shut away as if it didn't exist.
Cye
had always had thoughts about death when he fought the Dynasty, but he still
could not face it in his mind. But he
knew this was death, this darkness, this silence, this mortal, blood-stilling
cold. He felt so bad waiting there so
patiently and helplessly, with everything fading and growing dim. Yet he had no choice.
He
tugged hopefully at the chain that held him, wanting it to give, but instead he
stopped abruptly when an unseen force caused the shackle to burn his
wrist. He bit his bottom lip to stifle
a cry of pain. This just wasn't his
day. Think of it this way, he thought to himself. It
couldn't very well get any worse.
The
door to his cell swung open.
Uh,
oh . . .
A
bent, haggard, old woman staggered into the cramped room. Situated on her worn shoulders was the
strangest cat Cye had ever seen. Its
pitch-black fur was striped with yellow and its tail tipped with red. The hag's eyes held absolutely no emotion
whatsoever; and following behind the timeworn woman was a tall man dressed in
the armor of Cruelty.
Where'd
he get that? Cye wondered.
When
their eyes met, Cye flinched uneasily under his intense gaze. The man cracked a wry smile.
"I
see you're awake." He said, "Allow me to introduce ourselves. I'm Lorn and that witch over there is
Gwendolyn."
The
witch, by this time, had moved over to Cye's side and was eyeing the blood
running down his arm. "You've been struggling," she said.
"No
matter. Once you're done with him he
won't have enough strength to put up much of a fight."
Gwendolyn
stepped in front of Cye and seemed to produce a clear, glass, sphere out of
virtually nowhere. It was about two and
a half inches in diameter and it literally hummed with power. The cat let out an ear-splitting shriek and
leapt off the woman's shoulders to hide in the darkest recesses of the cell.
Lorn
crossed his arms and leaned against a far wall to wait.
The
witch lifted the crystal only inches from Cye's nose and pulled her hand back
abruptly. The sphere hung suspended in
the air where she had left it. Cye
turned goggle-eyed with wonderment. Slowly and steadily the orb began to spin, and the faster it spun the
brighter it glowed. A breeze began
suddenly in the room and it continually gained force as time went on. Gwendolyn shouted a few incantations that
Cye could not make out over the rising gale and she threw her hands above her
head.
Something
stirred faintly inside Cye and it took him a moment to identify just what it
was. His armor was gradually slipping
away. Pain shot through his body as
piece by piece it was taken. Gathering
what little strength that remained in him he tried to regain what he had
lost. But it wasn't enough and he gave
a final scream as the last of his armor was stolen from him.
All
at once the wind died down and the crystal stopped both glowing and
spinning. It had taken on a milky,
light blue color that Cye didn't even have to guess was his armor. Gwendolyn snatched the sphere from its perch
and proceeded to leave the room, her cat following in suit.
Lorn,
who had been tossing a rock around during the whole ordeal, stepped
forward. He used a finger to lift Cye's
head. "I admire your tenacity, but you don't seem to have much fight left now."
Cye
narrowed his eyes. "Fuck off!" He said through clenched teeth.
"Fine,"
Lorn said, taking the rock and hitting him over the head, rendering Cye once
again unconscious. "Once Talpa gives me permission to kill you, I'll make you
pay." He turned and stomped out of the cell in a fit and slammed the door
behind him causing the candle to go out, bathing the cramped room in darkness.
* * * * *