Chapter Eighteen: Fuschia
"You're good," I said, slashing my battle ax at Kioko once again.
Kioko leapt out of the way, but I saw it coming and tripped her. "So are you."
"Thanks, I just got this thing a couple of days ago," I said, using my ax to block her saber. As I kept the pressure to the sword, I thought that over. I DID just get that thing a few days ago. Then how did I get so good with the battles with just a few days of experience? Shouldn't I still be having trouble in the fights?
"Does your skill frighten you, Icefire?" mocked Kioko. The woman in green and pink armor laughed as she attempted another hit. I back-flipped out of the way. "The Three Magical Armors have instinctive fighting skills. Like or not, you're now a lethal, blood thirsty killer. Just join us now, but I'll accept later as well."
"How about NEVER!!" I cried, attempting my sure-kill. Duh. Ice kills plants. Hello, Kojiro, anyone home? You COULD have done that earlier, like, oh, an hour ago would have been nice. But no. You had to be a pig-headed egotistical male and try to beat an experienced fighter in hand-to-hand combat. Typical me, eh? At least, that what Cye says.
Of course, Cye is also a Ronin Warrior who has probably killed a few Dynasty soldiers and other not-so-nice things to think about.
During the majority of my adult life, from seventeen to twenty-one, I never imagined Cye had this kind of a past. When I met him, he'd been a scared, nervous sixteen year old kid with a kid of his own with no job, only a couple thousand yen and the clothes on his back to his name, and absolutely no where to go but the Teen Crisis Center in Tokyo. Now this? It didn't seem like the Cye I knew at all. Was he really a vicious killer? Was he really some barbaric warrior?
No, he wasn't. Even if Cye had fought something I was just beginning to understand, he still had his humanity. Innocence, no. He'd fought in a war and he hadn't woken up as a virgin in five years, so no, he wasn't innocent by any stretch of the mind. But he had a pure heart. He cared so much for Ariel. For someone whose destiny led him to battles and fighting, Cye was a great parent. I know I couldn't have done that good. Sure, I baby-sat a few times, but mostly Cye raised that kid himself. Did a good job for a warrior, I think.
"You're lying," I said to Kioko. "I am a Ronin Warrior. I REFUSE to believe I can become a heartless killer."
"It'll happen. Eventually. So just give in," said Kioko.
"No," I said flatly.
"Fine then. VINE WHIP EVOLUTION!"
Before I could do anything, vines began to whip out from the ground and held me captive. My armor faded away, leaving my in my subarmor. I was eventually tied into a kneeling position that I couldn't move from. The vines were tight. Kioko laughed. "Let me go you-"
"No," said Kioko. "Master Talpa wishes to see you himself. He wants to see what the next of the Magical Armors has to offer."
I was brought before a huge armor sitting on a throne in a red room with all sorts of torches perched about. I stared at the armor. It had a red face and white "hair". The armor itself had at least ten different blades including seven- count 'em SEVEN- swords on his back. It was a dismal gray/black in color. "What is THAT?" I asked.
The armor's eyes glowed red. "I am Talpa, lord of the Evil Dynasty. You will bow down to me, Kojiro of the Icefire."
THAT was Talpa?! Good going, Koji, you insulted the BIG guy. I decided to see how bold I could get. "Oh, so you're the big bag of hot air I've heard so much about," I said.
Talpa's eyes glowed again. "WHAT!?"
"Oh yeah, your warlords always talk about the big bag of hot air," I said. "I assumed that was you."
"The Four- no, THREE Stooges are in trouble," said Talpa, his eyes glowing. This was the only type of emotion I could actually see on his armored face. Very boring.
"Three? Aren't there-"
"The cat killed Sehkment."
Good boy, White Blaze! I thought to myself. Now, how could I get out of there. Hmm. My virtue was Creativity. That meant I could create creative plans to get back at Talpa. So, I had to be deceitful, sneaky, and all out interesting. "You know, uh, Talpa, is it? That is NOT your color."
"What are you- is it?" asked Talpa, suddenly curious.
"YES!" I said. "It looks GOD-AWFUL on you! You're more a. . . fuschia."
"Fuschia?"
"Fuschia. Lucky for you I'm GREAT with colors," I said. "Now, if you color coordinate, then your Dynasty servants will have a greater respect for you, therefore, work HARDER for you."
"Really?" asked Talpa, his eyes glowing.
"Yes, really, now, if ya untie me I can help you out," I said.
"Guards! Untie him! Now!"
"Looser," I said, slamming the door to Talpa's room. From the other side I could hear the now VERY pink emperor of the Dynasty admiring himself. What a dope. So gullible. Now, to find Cye and the other Ronin Warriors. I grinned to myself. Not bad for a first try at humiliating the Overlord of the Evil Dynasty. The Warlords would NEVER let him hear the end of it.
"Would yellow how have been better?" I wondered. "Nah!" I took off down the hallway before the big dumb thing figured out he'd been had.
"RONIN!!!!!!!"
Ah, he figured it out. Time to haul some butt out of there. Once I saw the Tin Cans, I wisely sprinted down the hallway as fats as my two legs could carry me. Shockingly, I was REALLY fast. And smooth. Wow, I could get used to that thing! It kicked BUTT!
I skidded to stop at the end of the hallway. Above me was, conveniently enough, a sewage pipe. I considered dumping it on the unsuspecting guards, but since I didn't want to smell like poo-gas for the remainder of my little adventure, I wisely chose not to. I'm crazy, yes. Stupid? No. Me, I'm just. . . creative.
Heh, heh, heh.
Still, I had to get them off my trail.
"THERE HE IS!" one cried. All thirteen of them charged me. I then saw another useful object. Well, a few useful objects.
Two cans of Silly string and a lighter. Thinking evilly, I flicked on the lighter, then aimed the silly string at the flame. The guards stopped, puzzled at what I was doing.
FWASH!!!!
All that remained of the incompetent lackeys was charred shells.
"I better keep this away from Ariel," I mumbled to myself. "Hmm, I wonder where Kioko is. . ."