Chapter Four – New and Used Strategies
It was finally the evening of the great battle. The warriors had all changed into their subarmors, feeling the power of their Awakenings race through them, but also feeling the fear of the battle in their veins. The troop gathered in the study to iron out their strategy for the attack, a mish-mash of colors: red, green, dark blue, light blue and orange. Mirichu was also there, adding her color of lavender to the mix. White Blaze laid on the floor nearest the Ancient, carefully eyeing Anubis.
"Okay," Ryo began, spreading out a map of the surrounding terrain, "show us where approximately we can find the cave, Miri."
Brushing a stubborn lock of black hair from her face, the grinning woman pointed to a mountain on the edge of the map. "There, in the hills just preceding that mountain."
"You're sure?"
"Positive. See here?" she asked, circling a portion of roadway with her slender finger. "That's where Dais attacked Rowen, isn't it?" The dark blue warrior nodded solemnly. "Okay, so this is the stretch of woods he vanished into, and we walked in this direction then, toward those hills, right up into the cave. Clear?"
"Crystal. Anything else we're missing?"
"Not that I can think of. I believe we're ready to launch our strike." Mirichu grinned happily. She was getting her chance to prove herself to Rowen. After tonight, she was not going to be known as a weak little girl anymore.
Ryo grabbed Miri's hands, holding tightly in his own hot hands. "Are you sure you want to do this? Do you really think you can handle it?"
"Absolutely! I never have been more ready for anything in my life. Come what may; rain or shine, I'm ready to kick ass!"
"No way, Miri! There will be no ass kicking for you. Leave that to us professionals."
"If you think I'm missing out on the action, Sage, because you want to keep me a sheltered little child, forget it! I'm taking home a leg of that spider tonight, whether you guys want me to or not." Mirichu placed a finger on Sage's chest and jabbed it hard enough so that even through his armor he could feel it. "Understood?" She smiled curtly at him, then turned to face the map again.
"Will you marry me, Miri," Kento asked, still in shock that she was as headstrong for battle as he was, "because I could swear we are kindred spirits."
Ryo glared at the orange warrior, making it known that Mirichu was claimed already. Kento smiled weakly at his friend, showing him it was just a joke. Still, Ryo moved closer to the beautiful woman and placed his arm around her shoulder. "Don't go doing anything crazy in there, you hear me? I don't want you to get hurt, but I do want you to have a little fun. Tell you what, I'll let you throw a punch or two."
"Really, Ryo? Rowen would never let me near the guy," she commented, sticking her tongue out her best friend, who returned the gesture.
"That's because, unlike my friend Ryo here, I'm not a fool in love, trying to make you happy so you'll like me better."
Ryo blushed the color of his armor and turned to smack Rowen in the arm. "Shut-up! You don't know what you're talking about. I'm not in love!"
"And my name isn't Rowen!"
Mirichu laughed at the chagrined boy in red while moving to pat him on the shoulder. "Just ignore him. Hopefully he'll go away."
"Fat chance! Knowing you, Miri, if I weren't here to watch your every move, you'd already be in Dais' cave, trying to fight him off."
"Actually, I guess you don't know me that well, Rowen, because if you weren't here, I'd be having a party right now – I'd be so happy."
Cye chuckled in the corner of the room. "You two sound like you're married."
Ryo shot Cye a look like he did for Kento. The warrior of the Torrent shut his mouth, but the smirk remained on his child-like face. "While we're ignoring Rowen, can we also ignore Cye?" he asked the smiling girl.
"We can do whatever you like, honey.
"Now, back to this map. From which direction do we plan to attack?"
Sage stepped forward and shared his idea. "What if we were to come up from the south, but instead of charging straight in from the west, like Dais would probably expect, we circle around, and from behind we enter. That way, he can't see us coming since we won't be coming right at him."
"That's exactly what I was thinking, Sage! If we attack from behind, then maybe we'll be fortunate enough to avoid most – if not all – of Dais' traps."
"Good point," Cye agreed, imagining the battle scene in his head.
"I knew I kept you around for some reason," Sage smiled at Mirichu.
Ryo stepped into the center of the circle of warriors, a grin playing on his handsome face. "Well, if it's decided then, let's get moving!"
Mia stepped into the room wearing all black clothing, even sunglasses. "I'm ready!" she chirped, modeling her outfit for the boys. It was all they could do to keep from bursting out laughing at the show. Mirichu raised an eyebrow. Boy, she was acting like a chittering high school dropout.
"For what? A coffeehouse poetry reciting?" queried Ryo, humored by her appearance.
"For the battle with Dais, duh-uh! This way I can sneak up on him unnoticed."
"Oh no…" Rowen sighed, thinking: Not another one…
"You're not going to, Mia. Forget it!"
"But, Ryo, she's going! Why can't I? I always come anyway!"
Wildfire chewed his lip to bite back the aggravation. "Her name is Mirichu, not she, and the only reason we're letting her go is because Mirichu is the only one who can lead us in there. Otherwise, we'd get lost in Dais' labyrinth of tunnels."
"Excuse me?" Mirichu erupted. "Letting me go? You didn't have another choice. The way I see it, I'm the one who's letting you guys go."
Anubis smirked at the woman. She was a clever one. "Once again it appears that the Queen of Hearts has the Ace in her hand."
"Shut-up, Anubis," Rowen barked.
"We won't have enough time to fight Dais and his minions, protect Mirichu and you, too, Mia," Cye informed honestly.
"Well, I'm not sitting here and playing babysitter for Yuli again!"
"You'll have to. The Ronin Warriors are going to have enough responsibilities as it is."
Mia and Mirichu stared hard at the man in crimson. Without knowing it, the pair chorused, "So I'm just another responsibility, am I?" They turned to look at each other, shock that they were thinking on the same level appearing on their porcelain faces. Even the guys stared wide-eyed at the two, frequently bickering women.
"He didn't mean that!" Cye defended.
"Yeah, I didn't mean that! No!"
"Fine then, I see how it is. This responsibility is going to her room!" The shadow girl spun out of the room gracefully, anger filling her vacant spot in the corner. Somewhere in the house a door slammed shut.
"Not again… Mia," Ryo shouted to air, "we'll talk about this when I get back. I'm sorry!
"Why does everything have to be so hard with that woman?"
"Because, Ryo, you don't understand women at all, especially that one."
Cye turned to comfort his friend. "It's okay, buddy. If it makes you feel any better, none of us do."
"Speak for yourself, Cye! I know a lot about the female species." Mirichu narrowed her eyes at Kento in disbelief while all the guys simply grinned.
"That's because you are one!" Sage jested, punching the man in orange in the arm.
"Shut-up, Sage! At least I'm not the one with the girly hairdo."
"My hair is not girly!"
"Then how do you explain that feminine swoop that always covers your one eye?"
"Swoop?" Rowen laughed, evoking a similar response from Miri.
"I think it's sexy," she said, moving to put her arm around her friend's shoulders and brushing the hair with her fingers.
"Thank you, Miri. See that, monkey? Sexy."
"Go to hell."
Rowen slid over to Kento and Sage. He forced himself between the two and smiled. "Ladies, ladies! Stop this madness now. Save the fight for Dais."
"Speaking of Spiderman…," Ryo said. "Are we all ready to go?"
"As we'll ever be," answered Cye.
"Good, then let's kick it!" Ryo led the group – Rowen, Sage, Kento, Cye, Mirichu and White Blaze – down to Rowen's jeep sleeping in the garage. After being wished the best of luck by the Ancient and Anubis, the Ronin Warriors, with the exception of Ryo, who rode White Blaze, piled into the car and sped into the velvet night.
As he steered the vehicle in the direction of his secret field, Rowen remarked to himself what a beautiful night it was. The stars were growing in their celestial garden – full bloom – their diamond-like petals spreading with the progression of night. How he wished he could take the time to look at them and admire their brilliant light. "Not tonight, luv," Miri whispered from the passenger seat, noticing the longing look in his silken eyes.
Approaching the car was the bend in the road where Strata met Illusion. Rowen slowed to a halt just before the curve, signaling Ryo and White Blaze that this was the place. The warriors filed out, hushed among the summer woods.
Miri silently instructed them to follow her lead, and they did a little fearfully. She dragged them through undergrowth of all types and over rocks slick with slime and between trees withering with old age. A couple times she stopped because she thought she heard something, and the entire group tensed with anxiety. Their entire adventure was no good if the surprise was lost.
Gradually, the trees ceased their bombardment on the troop and the pathway cleared to reveal the base of one of the mountains in the great chain. The surface of the hill was barren and porous, tiny holes sprouting left and right. So many places to conceal a cave. Mirichu led them across the face of the hillside then up a bit so that they could see the whole valley from where they now stood.
The land spread before them like the arms of a god showing them all Earth had to offer. The Japanese countryside spanned around Rowen, his meadow, along with many other people's private meadows, dancing in the light of the moon. Even from this distant vantage point, Strata could see the swords in his valley still fighting till their last breaths.
Mirichu motioned for them to slowly make their descent. They crept steadily downward until she waved for them to stop. Still high above the rest of the world, the Ronin Warriors circled around a larger hole in the side of the foothill and stopped outside to conference. "Do we knock?" hissed Kento eagerly.
"Look's to me like the door's open," Rowen commented almost inaudibly.
They filed in like burglars, Ryo, Rowen, Mirichu, Sage, Cye, Kento and White Blaze – in that order – sneaking in without so much as the squeak of a shoe. Rowen and Sage practically sandwiched Miri between their two bodies, and Ryo asked if she was okay punctually every minute. "Truly, you guys, I'm fine, and I will be fine!"
"Keep your voice down," scolded Rowen.
They came to the first intersection in their journey. Seven different tunnels led off in seven completely different directions. Already the Ronins were beginning to feel disoriented. "Which one should I take?" Ryo questioned, glancing uneasily about the cavern.
Miri seemed to think before she answered. "Tunnel No. 4, from the left. There!"
"You're sure?"
"Positive," she assured.
They headed down the blackened path, White Blaze growling every so often at a shadow or two. Of course, that didn't soothe the warriors' nerves any. "Why do I get the feeling I'm being led to my doom?" Sage implored to Miri quietly. The only person to hear what Sage had asked was Rowen. He shivered involuntarily at his buddy's words, recalling the feeling he had experienced yesterday at the Ancient One's comment.
"Don't you trust me enough to know that I wouldn't lead you to your demise?"
"Sorry, of course I trust you. I'm just a little jumpy, that's all."
"We all are, man," Kento rasped from the back.
They arrived at the next fork in the road. "Left or right?"
"Left, Ryo, then make almost an immediate right. Do not go straight, okay." Ryo entered the hallway, and instantly there was a sickening smack reverberating down the charcoal-black corridor. Mirichu stifled a laugh, for without even seeing what had happened, she knew what Ryo had done. "I said ALMOST an immediate right, not immediate! That's real wall!"
Ryo's head peered around the corner, a big, fat frown plastered on his face. His hand was busy rubbing his nose. He growled under his breath at her. Try as she might, though, Miri simply couldn't conceal the impish grin on her face. The warriors chuckled quietly, still on guard. "Keep moving," insisted Rowen, smirking a special smirk at Miri.
"Are you sure this is where we have to turn? There is nothing but wall, as I've already demonstrated."
"Yes, this is the place. Put out your hand and see for yourself." Wildfire did and to his amazement discovered that the wall was merely an illusion. Once he felt it safe, he went through, peeping his head back out to tell the others it was all clear on the other side. One by one they went through the wall and appeared on the other side only to discover more trail. "Told ya. Geez, you guys are more nervous than a teen idol in a room full of obsessed high-school girls." Rowen stared at her as if to ask, "what was that?" She merely smiled her most charming smile and pushed him onward.
"Ours is a healthy fear," informed Cye.
"How much further?" Kento whined typically.
"I believe there is only one more bend and we should be in the mouth of Dais' lair."
Sage joked seriously, "Is that supposed to be good news?"
"Why do I get the feeling…" Rowen began.
"That Dais knows we're coming?" Ryo finished. They made the last turn.
"Because I do!" Dais launched himself from above the entryway, swinging down on a string of webbing. Ryo dodged the ambush by diving to the floor in the cavern, leaving Rowen open to attack. He never missed a beat. The warrior of Strata reached instinctually into his quiver and extracted an arrow, aiming it directly at the bit of silk that suspended the Warlord to the roof and sending him sprawling to the floor in a tangle of legs and arms.
"Behind you, Kento!" Ryo ululated when he saw what was coming up behind them.
The orange warrior whirled around to discover over a dozen or so Dynasty soldiers lumbering down the tunnels to cut them off from escaping. They propelled their spears at Cye and Kento, quickly dividing up the two of them.
Returning his attention back to Dais, Rowen prepared to charge the fallen spider. "Watch Miri, Sage. Keep her safe – and I mean from herself, too!"
"I will!" Sage shouted to his friend, who already had his sights set on the Warlord.
"I'm counting on you!" Rowen yelled loudly as he charged Dais, spinning his bow above his head, then thrusting it downward like a sword. Dais rolled out of the way right when the butt of the bow came screaming down inches from his face, slamming into the stone with a deafening boom. Shards of the rock splattered against the Warlord's armor, a piece even grazing the skin of his upper cheek. A trickle of blood leaked down his face and onto the collar of his suit of armor.
Angrily, Dais rose from the floor and ran – like a train – straight into Rowen's body, pinning him helplessly against the wall. "You will pay for that!" His hand shot out and tightened about Rowen's neck, squeezing and lifting him off of the floor at the same time.
"Rowen," Miri screeched as she ran to help him. Sage caught the hem of her shirt and wrenched her backwards, into his arms.
"Don't even think about it!"
"But Rowen's in trouble!" she protested, on the verge of tears.
"Ryo will help him. See?" he soothed, pointing to the red warrior sneaking up behind Dais.
The warrior of Wildfire raised his hands above his head and raced toward Dais, pounding him as hard as he could at the base of his neck with his fists. The spider screamed out in pain, dropping Rowen and crumbling to the floor.
While Ryo battled Dais with all of his might, Cye and Kento were having troubles of their own. The number of soldiers had nearly doubled in the last minute, and replacements for the fallen ones arrived within the minute they fell. "Sage," Cye called, "could you lend us a hand here… please?"
Sage looked quickly between Miri and his friends, debating whether or not to leave her by herself. "Listen to me, you move from this spot, and I swear, if Dais doesn't kill you first, I'll finish the job!" Mirichu nodded in agreement, but the second he turned his back, she was off and running to Rowen's side. Sage groaned. He should have known better than to let her go because Mirichu had never listened to anyone else but her own heart!
As Mirichu tended to Rowen, Dais surprised Ryo with an illusion in the midst of their fight and threw him backwards, knocking him out sufficiently. Immediately, the Warlord returned his attentions to the warrior of Strata on the cavern floor still struggling to breathe. "Who's you pretty friend, Strata?"
"Na… none of your ba… business," he wheezed, standing up by using Miri as a support post.
Dais looked her over, smiling at what he saw. "Take a picture, it'll last longer," she spat with as much scorn in her voice as she could manage.
"What's a dazzling woman like you doing in a dank cave like this?"
"Coming to exterminate a pest."
"And what pest would that be, my sweet?"
"You!" she shouted, letting go of Rowen to spin around and kick the spider man square in the chest. Dais had not expected to be kicked with such force, to say the least; he had also not expected the powerful kick to be delivered by a woman. The Dark Warlord gasped in pain and surprise and stumbled backward, grasping at his injured chest.
"This is not your fight, Miri. Stand back!" Rowen warned, taking her sternly by the arm.
"No way, I'm just getting warmed up."
"Well, you better cool down because you're not fighting anymore!"
"But-"
"No!" he insisted. "Go help Ryo up so he can get back in this fight, and when you're down, go take cover somewhere where it's safe from view."
"Ooh! Go to hell, Rowen Hashiba!" With that Mirichu stormed over to Ryo's side and gingerly lifted his head off of the cold stone floor. "You with me, sweetie? Can you hear what I'm saying?"
"Yeah," he said groggily, raising his head and blinking his eyes a few times. "I'm okay. Little woozy, but all right otherwise. Are you okay?"
"Of course I am, but I can't say the same for Rowen. He's facing off against Dais on his own, and he won't let me help him. He insists that I drag the poor, injured Ryo to his unsteady feet so that he can get the crap beat out of him even more."
"Good."
"Excuse me for being the stupid one here, but how do you see that as a good idea?"
"Dais is much too powerful for you to fight. If I must, I'll take the blows for you."
"But-"
"You've done your job to wake me up, now go keep a look out for Cye, Kento and Sage. But don't you dare try to fight with them, you hear? You'll only hinder their progress."
Mirichu pouted her lip. "So that's all I am to you, a responsibility and a hindrance?"
"Of course not, Miri! I just want to keep you safe so I can hug you later on because you're so damn brave in the face of real danger. Okay?"
She smiled slightly at the thought and sighed in concession. "Okay, go get him, Wildfire."
"And remember, should those guys need a little extra help, call White Blaze." And Ryo ran off to aid Rowen in his battle.
Miri trotted over to a small cleft in the wall of the cavern and took lookout for the three troopers. Occasionally, she would shout warnings to the Ronin Warriors to watch their backs or to help each other out. Boring. She wanted to fight!
"Sage, behind you!" Miri spotted a Dynasty soldier trying to sneak up on her friend while he was dueling with another. She was about to whistle for White Blaze when she noticed that he had his mouth full already – literally – with Dais' arm. So instead of simply sitting back and watching him struggle, Mirichu leapt from her perch down onto the approaching guardsman.
"Oh hell…" Sage began as he finally noticed the other soldier. The moment before he was about to be reamed full of spear, Miri sailed down from above like a fallen angel and swept the soldier's legs out from underneath him. Once the beast had fallen, she pounced on his lost spear, spinning it ever so skillfully through her delicate fingers then plunging it without hesitation into his chest. The monster vaporized into thin air, leaving one aghast Sage of Halo standing in the ethereal smoke. "Where did you learn that neat, little trick?"
"When you train with Rowen a couple of times," Mirichu said, "you tend to pick up a few of those."
"I've never seen him do that before."
"So I added a few fancy frills to the attack. Sue me."
"I'd rather kiss you for saving my sorry butt."
"Thanks for acknowledging that. The other guys would have sooner insisted that giant monkeys from the planet Nincompoop had assumed control of Earth before they would admit that I saved them. It's good to know that someone here appreciates me."
"They all do, they just won't admit it. Manly pride, you know."
"Look out!" Miri cried in surprise. Sage whirled, instantly moving into his first punch. The Dynasty trooper reeled, smashing into the stone looming behind him with such force that it rocked the whole cave. "And where did you learn that neat, little trick?" she mocked.
"Comes with training with Rowen, don't you know?"
"Oh Sage? Could I borrow you a second…" Cye beckoned from the sidelines.
"Stay here for a moment."
"You're still not going to let me fight?" she asked incredulously.
"I think you've earned your chance, but you've got no weapon with which to fight."
"What do you call this?" Mirichu queried, wheeling the soldier's spear over her head and displaying it proudly next to her like the Ancient's staff.
Sage hesitated to say yes, but eventually he just gave in to her, telling her that she could only fight if she took White Blaze along to accompany her. "And you better call if you even sense for one second that you need help!"
"SAGE!" Cye croaked mightily.
With that, the warrior of Halo raced off to Torrent's side, leaving Mirichu to gather White Blaze and go off to her own battle. She ran forward to the newest onslaught of Dynasty creeps, a triumphant smile blazing across her face. Immediately, she began her attack on two of the challenging soldiers, punching and kicking them at speeds that were faster than most of the Ronin Warriors' even were. And in the blink of an eye their fight was dramatically concluded when Miri stabbed the creatures through their hearts with her new toy. She grinned maliciously as she slowly extracted the blade from the second beast's chest, twisting it once on the way out and watching the gore with wicked delight in her eyes.
After helping to severely decrease the population of the Dynasty soldiers in the cavern, Miri made sure her three friends were okay before returning to join Ryo and Rowen's sides.
Since she had awoken Wildfire, not much had changed between Illusion and Strata other than each was a little more beat up and black-and-blue than previously. Rowen was still managing to hold his own against Dais even though exhaustion was evidently setting in. Ryo, although he was fighting, his attacks were useless and weak. The blow Dais had dealt him earlier obviously had affected his ability to effectively fight. Dais easily blocked his punches and deflected his kicks. Rowen may as well have been fighting by himself, for Ryo was just no use in this war.
The instant Dais blasted Rowen backward, Mirichu dove toward him, jabbing the Warlord in the small of his back with as much force as the butt of the spear could carry. The Warlord fell to his knees, cursing at his excruciating pain. His head whipped around, his eye narrowing on the gorgeous female warrior. "A woman with spark. I like…"
"The feeling's definitely not mutual," she growled, gracefully twirling the spearhead like a baton to point it directly at his chest. "Prepare to be shish-kabobbed."
"Dais!" Talpa crowed, his voice sounding throughout the whole room. "Return to the Dynasty at once!"
"But, Master Talpa, I have not finished with them yet! Give me a few more minutes and I can destroy Wildfire!"
"Do not question my orders! Return to me now!"
"As you wish, Master Talpa." Dais straightened up slightly, his gaze eyeing the tip of the spear cautiously. "Save some of that for me later, beautiful," he oozed, licking his lips seductively.
Miri screamed in revulsion and charged at him, blade first. The second before the tip could penetrate his armor, the Spiderman vanished into thin air, an amused laugh lingering to mock her.
"What was that?" Rowen fumed.
"Just saving your behind from destruction is all, if you don't mind!"
"Mind? Mind! Sage! I thought I told you to keep a leash on her!"
"I tried, man," he protested in his defense, "but she is one tough chic. Didn't you see her fight?"
"I prefer that I didn't. No one was supposed to see her fight at all."
"Then why did you teach me?" Mirichu quipped.
"That was in case you were ever accosted by a Dynasty Nasty when we weren't around. It wasn't for everyday use." Rowen was smoking mad, yet also incredibly impressed with Mirichu's performance. She had both the talent and the vivacity of a true warrior; the only thing that was keeping her from being one was the fact that Rowen was her best friend. He couldn't let her go in to battle and start waving around her little spear like she knew what she was doing. Miri would get hurt, and he could never forgive himself if such a thing were to happen.
But then Rowen saw Mirichu standing in the dim candlelight, her hair softly aglow and her spear tip glinting. Mirichu's shirt was short and tight, and her pleated skirt came to about mid-thigh, revealing both her taut stomach and strong, tapering legs. Her mystically green eyes sparkled with the fire of the fight past. She appeared to be a true warrior all right. Looking around the cavern, Rowen could also see he wasn't the only Ronin Warrior staring; Kento's eyes were about bugging out of his head as this was the first time he had actually had the chance to check her out. "Kento!"
"Wa… what?" he sputtered nervously. Rowen scolded him with his eyes.
"Well," Cye started, "I guess our job is done here tonight, fellas. Ready to go home and turn in?"
"Can't wait," Sage replied.
"I call first shower!"
"Oh no you don't, Kento! It's all mine," Cye disagreed.
"Here we go," Sage smiled to Miri, taking her hand to lead her out of the maze. "You bringing that with you?"
Mirichu glanced quickly at the spear in her other hand. "Naturally. I couldn't leave my new friend here for Dais, now could I?" The pair led the way back out as the troop chattered about their own personal victories, Kento most of all.
It was just another night for the Ronin Warriors and company.
