Nightmarish Reality
Chapter 3 - The Challenge
By Lady Strata
Okay, there's a battle in this chapter and it's not very good because I'm terrible at writing battle scenes. Have mercy, please.
Dais laughed evilly, preparing to plunge his sword into the sleeping Rowen's chest.
"NO!" Sage shouted as he ran across the room.
Dais whirled around, furious at the interruption.
"You fool. Do you really think you are a match for me?" He gave Sage a vicious backhand slap, knocking him to the floor, leaving him momentarily stunned.
"Now I can do what I came here to do!" He turned back to Rowen. "Kill YOU!" He held his sword high, and began to plunge it down.
"Ironrock crusher!"
Dais screamed as he was thrown back from the bed, nearly landing on Sage.
Rowen finally woke up. He sat up, rubbed his eyes, and squinted at the scene before him. His eyes widened as he took it all in.
"DAIS! What the hell-"
"Rowen, come on!" Kento grabbed his arm and hauled him out of bed. "Put your armor on!"
"Armor of Strata...Dao Inochi!"
When Rowen had his armor on, he drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and pointed it at Dais.
"All right Dais, start talking."
"I'm not telling you anyth-" He broke off as a sword stopped just millimeters from his throat.
"I think you will," Sage said quietly. In all the confusion, he had recovered and had managed to put his armor on. "Spit it out, Warlord."
"Fools! Do you honestly think I'm going to talk? I am a servant of the great and powerful Talpa! I cannot be beaten!"
"Yeah, well I'm sick and tired of everyone talking about great Talpa is!" Kento cried, looking angry. "Face it, Dais, you've lost."
"Not very likely."
In the blink of an eye, Dais moved Sage's sword away from his throat and had flipped the bearer of Halo on his back. Dais laughed.
"Who's lost now, Ronins?"
"Super wave smasher!"
"Flare up now!"
The Warlord of Illusion had completely forgotten about Ryo and Cye. As a result, their attacks took him completely by surprise. He cried out as he broke through the floor of Rowen and Sage's room. He stood up, wincing with pain.
"You've won the battle, Ronins, but you haven't won the war! I'll be back!"
He vanished.
Meanwhile, in the remains of Rowen and Sage's bedroom, the five Ronins looked at each other. Kento was the first to speak.
"Hey, is everybody all right?"
"Yeah, I think so," Rowen said. He looked around him and grimaced. "I think I'm gonna need a new room, though."
Mia leaned back in her chair, a worried expression on her face as she addressed Rowen.
"I don't understand it. Why would Dais come here to kill you?"
"He's from the Dynasty, Mia. Think about it."
"No, she's right," Ryo interrupted. "Why come now, of all times?"
"He wanted to catch us off guard." Everyone looked at Cye. He gave them all an exasperated look. "Well, think about it. It was morning, we weren't fully alert, Rowen was alone upstairs. It was the perfect opportunity."
Sage, who was sitting on the couch next to Rowen, leaned toward his best friend.
"Look, Ro, I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being such a jerk last night. You were right. I know I made it out to be a bigger deal than it was. But it's still a problem."
Rowen sighed.
"Yeah, I know. So what are we gonna do about it?"
"Talpa's obviously planning something, guys. Let's just go stop him now."
"Kento, you know perfectly well-" Cye began.
"Come on, Cye! We can't give him a chance to try anything! Let's kick his sorry ass now, before it's too late!"
Yuli clapped a hand over his mouth and started giggling. Mia gave him a look.
"What's so funny?"
"Kento said the 'A' word!" Yuli cried gleefully as he burst into another fit of giggles.
Mia glared at Kento.
"Kento, watch your language."
"Aw, come on Mia, you never told me to watch my language before."
"I'm telling you now."
"But-"
"No buts," Mia said firmly.
Kento flopped back in his chair, defeated.
"Yes, ma'am," he said glumly.
In spite of the serious circumstances, they all had to laugh.
"DAIS!"
"Yes, Master Talpa?" Dais said tentatively.
"You have failed! How could you fail to kill a sleeping boy? It couldn't have been any easier!"
"The other Ronins Warriors, sire, they came to his aid."
"You let them defeated you, didn't you Dais?"
"No, master-"
"SILENCE!" Talpa roared. Dais gulped.
"I should have sent Sekhmet in your place! He could have killed Rowen of the Strata! But now, because of your incompetence, we haven't enough time. We must go ahead with our plan."
"Shall I gather the other Warlords, master?"
"Yes, Dais, bring them in here. It is time."
Rowen put his chin on his hands. He was sitting on the front steps, trying to sort everything out. He knew the Dynasty would strike again. He thought he should be scared, considering it was him that Dais had come to kill, but he wasn't.
He groaned and ran his hands through his blue hair. "I wish I knew what was going on," he grumbled to himself.
"Oh, you will soon enough."
Rowen's head snapped up. His jaw dropped when he was who was standing in front of him.
"Anubis!"
"Yes, it is I. I have to come to let you know that you are going to die, tonight, you blue-haired fool."
"What, is Dais going to stand over my bed with a sword again?" Rowen's voice dripped with sarcasm.
Anubis flashed him an evil grin, reached down, and grabbed Rowen by the throat. He lifted the struggling boy in the air.
"Oh no, Rowen, it will be different from that. Much, much different." He squeezed harder, cutting off Rowen's air supply. Rowen gagged, but Anubis didn't lessen his grip at all.
"Talpa challenges you to a battle. All five of you. Tonight. You know where to go. You're the one who's been having the dreams, after all."
He let go of Rowen, letting him drop to the ground. Rowen lay there, gasping as he tried to catch his breath.
Anubis walked over to him and kicked him in the ribs. Rowen cried out, but the Warlord of Cruelty just smiled.
"I look forward to seeing you, Rowen."
Then he vanished, his evil laugh echoing in Rowen's ears.
"Rowen!" Rowen painfully turned his head to see Sage bending over him. "Are you all right?"
"Sage," Rowen gasped, his voice filled with pain. "Anubis said-"
"I heard."
Ryo stood looking at the spot where Anubis had been standing just seconds earlier. When he spoke, his voice was grim.
"Looks like we've got ourselves a battle."
