Midnight Shadows
Part 10
By Mieren
It took Rowen four days to die.
On the first morning, Cye awoke to see Kento hovering over him protectively, the dark circles under his eyes indicating that he hadn't slept all night. Kento raised his hands to his head to scrub his hair out of his face wearily, tears streaming down his pale cheeks and quivering jaw.
"Kento?" he whispered shakily, eyes burning viciously.
"Yea?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper.
"Is Rowen okay?"
Kento didn't have to respond, the tears streaming down his face told Cye more than any words could. Moving unsteadily to his feet, he staggered over to the next room, trailing a thick quilt around his shoulders. Walking into the next room, Cye immediately understood what had shaken Kento so badly. Rowen lay on his bed, breath rattling softly in his throat. His eyes were open but he wasn't moving or responding to Sage's trembling voice. Mieren was curled up next to the bed, snowy flames licking her gaunt form wearily as she struggled to revive the catatonic boy. Cye tottered over to the edge of the bed.
"Rowen?"
Rowen didn't respond in the slightest, continuing to stare unblinking at the ceiling, body limp and face expressionless. Cye wasn't aware that his knees had buckled until he slid to the floor, tears streaming down his cheeks.
"Oh God, Rowen. I'm sorry," he whimpered.
Sage swayed over to him, his lack of sleep apparent. "Mieren's still working on him, Cye. She thinks that she may be able to do something," he whispered, pulling the trembling boy closer to him.
"I didn't mean to do this," Cye whispered, going limp in Sage's arms.
"We know, Cye. Rowen may still pull out of it," Sage murmured comfortingly, trying frantically to think of some way to keep the younger boy from going into shock.
"I survived what was done to me because of what I am, didn't I?"
Sage blinked at the unexpected question, nodding numbly. Cye pressed on.
"Then what if we turn him into an elf? Won't that save him?"
Sage inhaled sharply. Damn, he was fast. He had hoped that Cye wouldn't suggest that. The suggestion had arisen last night as they tried desperately through the night to think of something they could do for Rowen. Mieren had crushed the idea promptly, telling them that it was too late, that Rowen's mind was already fried. He apparently hadn't been keeping his face completely expressionless, because Cye whimpered and went limp in his arms again.
"It's not your fault," Sage murmured, pulling him closer. "There's no way you could have known."
Mieren's hiss cut him off from comforting the youngest Ronin further. He immediately moved to her side, wincing as she snagged his forehead. Sage was aware of his kanji flaring brightly on his head, beginning to tremble as Mieren drained what little was left of his rapidly diminishing energy. Cye shoved him out of the way and leaned forward slightly. Mieren didn't hesitate before raiding the small amount of energy that he had recovered from his night of rest. Cye gasped as his kanji ignited painfully on his forehead, the turquoise light flaring brightly even through Mieren's hand.
Cye toppled to the floor when she released him, not having the energy to hold himself upright. He was vaguely aware of someone lifting him and carrying him back to his room before he lost consciousness.
On the second day, the Ronins and Warlords took turns going upstairs to contribute energy to whatever Mieren was doing. As Cye wandered in, he gasped, eyes widening in shock. Rowen's eyes had flicked in his direction for a moment when he came in. Cye dropped to his knees by the bed.
"Rowen?" he breathed, eyes stinging.
Rowen only rolled his eyes to the side to acknowledge him, breath rasping thickly in his throat. He closed his eyes when Mieren placed one hand on his head, white flames enveloping him gently. Cye sent his energy directly to Mieren without her asking, realizing for the first time that she hadn't paused in whatever she was doing since she had first freed him of the spell that Cye had been casting.
Cye resolved that he would not pass out this time, clutching the edge of the bed forcefully as he struggled to remain upright. After the flames died out around Rowen, he reached forward to move an oily lock of hair out of his friend's eyes.
Rowen opened his eyes slowly, face tight with pain. "Cye?" he asked, voice not even a whisper.
"Oh God, Rowen. I'm sorry. I didn't mean…"
"I heard you yesterday," he murmured, voice gaining strength slowly. "You were only trying to help."
Cye opened his mouth to say more but stopped when Rowen let out a deep breath and slumped limply into the pillow, muscles relaxing completely.
Determined to do something to help, Cye heaved himself to his feet, muscles screaming in protest at the movement. Ignoring his body's protests, he headed down to the kitchen, careful not to wake the Warlords and Ronins sprawled across the living room and dining room, too weary to find somewhere reasonable to sleep. He only had time to fix a few dishes and eat a plate for himself before collapsing onto the floor in exhaustion.
Nearing noon on the third day of the struggle to keep Rowen alive, Mieren's shriek rang through the house. The Ronins and Warlords managed to gather in Rowen's room in a matter of seconds despite their weary and aching muscles.
Rowen's eyes were glazed, blue flames whipping around him as he whimpered in protest to the energies that he could not control. Energies beyond imagination were shooting around the room, one spell leaving Mieren pinned firmly to the wall, growling and thrashing furiously, her dull eyes growing desperate. The cords of raw power shooting around the small room quickly had everyone pinned securely to the walls and floor.
Crying out frantically, Cye slashed a few of the easier spells, trying desperately to force a shield around Rowen's mind. The unfathomable energies he was holding made shielding impossible, his mind automatically defending itself. Distracted slightly, a few of the weavings were dissipated, freeing Ryo and Sage. Sage began trying to help Cye form a shield, Ryo coming in directly behind him to slam his fist into Rowen's jaw, knocking him out.
Without a controlling mind, the spells in the room died out, freeing the stunned warriors. Moving stiffly, Mieren drug herself over to the bed and placed a sturdy, and impossibly complex, shield around Rowen's mind before slumping to the floor bonelessly. She waved the others out as white flames rose around her slowly, beginning her arduous work once more.
On the fourth day, Rowen died.
Mia, the Ronins and Warlords were gathered in the living room, trying halfheartedly to begin a conversation. Horrifyingly often, pained groans arose from upstairs, occasionally escalating into screams that shook the windows in the house.
Cye buried his head in his hands, on the verge of an emotional breakdown, tears streaming down his cheeks unheeded. Someone was speaking to him, but he didn't notice or care in the slightest. His left arm began to burn fiercely, and he cradled it against his chest, whimpering softly and massaging the stinging muscles. His chest suddenly felt too tight, his heart pounding painfully against his ribs as he looked up to the ceiling, fresh tears following well-worn paths across his cheeks.
Choking on his next breath, Cye blacked out for a moment. Fighting to draw air into his burning lungs, he became aware of the others around him for the first time in hours. He cracked his eyes slowly, realizing abruptly that his chest hurt fiercely. Sage was leaning over him, hair falling across his face in wild disarray as his shoulders made sharp, painful movements up and down.
"Come on!" Sage hissed in time with his movements, tears streaming down his pale face.
A sharp pain erupted in his chest suddenly, causing him to gasp and cry out softly. He feebly tried to bat Sage away from him as he fought weakly to roll over onto his side, struggling to breathe. Cye choked slightly, drawing in a deep breath slowly, the air rattling in his throat. Looking up with bleary eyes, he became aware that the Warlords and his friends were gathered around him, watching him with horrified faces.
"Shit, Cye," Kento breathed, rubbing his shoulder gently. "Don't do that."
"Do what?" Cye coughed out, struggling to rise. Kento pushed him firmly back to the floor, intent on keeping there judging by his expression. He was too tired and sore to protest, so he allowed himself to be pinned to the floor by his mortified friend. Not getting an answer, he tried to rise to look at his friends, only to be pushed down again. "Do what?" he growled as best he could.
"Your heart stopped," Sage murmured gently, leaning back against the couch wearily, eyes dull. "We've been trying to resuscitate you for over thirty minutes now."
Cye was aware that all the blood was draining from his face. He shook his head slowly, swallowing numbly. "That's not possible."
Sage looked at him wearily, scrubbing his hair out of his face. "You were responding a bit differently than I would have expected. I don't think that any human could have been brought back after that kind of time."
Cye winced at his words, closing his eyes as his hand involuntarily rose and brushed across one of his pointed ears gently. He didn't have time to say anything.
Cye felt his forehead burn, knowing what the pain of his kanji meant. He struggled to his feet, no one trying to stop him this time. Seven other people in the room had frozen, each staring numbly at the stairs as they became aware of the burning on their foreheads, knowing what the searing pain signified, having felt a similar sensation only a few minutes ago when Cye slumped to the floor.
A race began for the stairs an instant before a shrill cry arose from upstairs. Ten people poured into Rowen's room, freezing at the sight that greeted their eyes.
Mieren was leaning across the bed, an inferno of blinding flames enveloping her skeletal form. All of her energy was pouring into Rowen, his kanji of Life burning fiercely from behind her hand as she struggled to keep him alive, tears streaming down her face unnoticed.
Rowen's kanji flared behind her hand violently, the blue light almost blinding even though covered. Delicate tendrils of smoke began to rise from beneath Mieren's left hand, her arm beginning to quiver forcefully. She hissed furiously, straining for energy that her exhausted body could not handle. Ever so slowly, his kanji began to fade. Stricken, Mieren staggered back as the light of the kanji, and Rowen, died.
* * *
After struggling with Mieren for nearly an hour, Sage gave up trying to pull Rowen's limp form out of her arms. Trying not to look at his best friend or the girl clinging to him desperately, tears streaking her face, he turned to an equally disturbing sight. Kento was frantically trying to keep Cye from going into shock and was failing miserably, the younger boy having gone catatonic nearly forty minutes ago, an occasional tear sliding down his face. Mia clung to Ryo, wracked with sobs as he held her tenderly.
The Warlords had all gone silent, not knowing what to say to comfort people that they had been trying their hardest to kill for months on end. Surprisingly, Kayura had collapsed into Cale's arms and was now clinging to him as she cried, his comforting words not intelligible past his hoarse breathing. Sehkmet and Dais stood silently by the door, both pale and completely silent. Anubis stood numbly by Mieren, giving up his attempts to get Rowen away from her when Sage had moved back in defeat.
Mieren rose slowly, Rowen cradled gently in her arms. Without tearing her gaze from him, she started out of the room, Sage and the Warlords following her wearily. Passing through the house in a trance, she started for the front door. Resolutely, Sage stepped in her way, eyes tearing helplessly when both she and Rowen went translucent and passed through both him and the door.
Sage, Anubis, Sehkmet and Dais followed her outside quickly, determined not to let her get away. Before she had moved four paces outside, white flames began to lick her wiry form, trailing across the body in her arms as she moved a short distance from the house. Sage watched helplessly as she stopped suddenly, lowering her head to Rowen's chest and calling out his name softly. The flames around her leapt higher, making the afternoon sun seem dark by comparison.
He shielded his eyes and tried to move forward, dropping to his knees when he felt something inside of him tear. Staring blankly ahead, he saw Mieren vanish in a three-story whirlwind of opal flames, an enormous crater remaining on the lawn where she had stood. Tears streamed down his face when he moved over to the charred earth, his heart throbbing painfully as he whispered his best friend's name one last time.
* * *
Mieren returned within the hour, minus Rowen. Walking into the living room in a cold fury, she scowled at Sage and the Warlords, looking around for the others. A blinding flash of light shot through the house, everyone who was not in the living room suddenly appearing. Mieren raised her head imperiously, gathering all attention.
"To arms," she growled, startling everyone into strict attention. "We attack the Dynasty today. Now."
Cye snapped out of his blank stare for a moment, looking at her with haunted eyes. "What good will it do?" he whispered, tears slipping from his eyes. "We're missing one armor."
For a response, Mieren held up her left hand slowly, blood streaming down her arm. Rowen's kanji of Life was burned into her palm, the black patches on her hand oozing blood as she stretched the charred flesh. Anubis jumped as one of the rings on his staff began to clang loudly, frantically. Mieren's cold eyes caught his gaze when he looked up, thoroughly terrifying him. He had never seen a gaze so cold, so hollow.
"Armor of Strata. Dao Inochi," she spat into the silence. The Ronins and Warlords gaped silently as deep blue flames surged around her, solidifying into Rowen's armor before their disbelieving eyes, the kanji of Life burning on her forehead.
"My God," Sage breathed, eyes burning as he saw his best friend's armor called forth. Moving forward to inspect her more closely, he saw tears threatening to fall from deep sapphire eyes. "What have you done?"
"To arms," she snapped, forestalling any further conversation.
Reluctantly, the Ronins and Warlords called forth their armor, watching Mieren numbly as she spun on her heel to walk out of the house and following slowly in her wake. Once outside, Mieren began chanting fiercely.
White Blaze followed the warriors outside, vanishing in a flash of bluish white flames. A corresponding flash of light and an infuriated roar from upstairs made it plain what had happened. A crash of glass came from upstairs as the great cat launched himself out of the window and trotted over to Ryo angrily, glaring at Mieren.
Mieren locked gazes with him for a moment, but did not slow in her wild chanting. Nodding slowly, she turned away from the massive tiger and rose her arms into the air slowly, energy crackling at her fingertips. A flash of energy opened a gateway in the middle of the yard, white flames licking its edges with an occasional flash of sapphire.
Mieren started forward, motioning sharply for the others to follow. The nine warriors fell in behind her, approaching the filmed portal shining dully in the afternoon sun. Passing through, time seemed to slow, movements becoming difficult and increasingly painful as they moved through the thick gray mist. Stepping free suddenly, the nine warriors following Mieren gasped.
The area around them was all rolling hills blanketed by thick forests as far as the eye could see. The sun shone down on them from the same angle as it had in their dimension, but three moons hung on the horizon, barely visible in the midday light.
Mieren seemed to have forgotten them, looking around slowly with glazed eyes and a blank face. The armor around her vanished in a swirl of blue light as she walked forward slowly, motioning for them to stay were they were.
The Ronins and Warlords all jumped when twisted creatures began to filter out of the trees and congregate around them. They were all beyond amazed when she began speaking to them in her native tongue, the translations echoing clearly in their minds as the foreign words were spoken.
"I have returned to do as I claimed earlier today. I will destroy the warrior of the Starlight Clan with the help of the warriors behind me."
A beast that looked startlingly like a griffin ambled up to them. "I understand your desire to fight, Demaela, but you cannot defeat such a force as that."
"I have the power behind me. These warriors possess armors with incredible strength, but must not be bothered with the Dynasty's demons while they fight. Will you or will you not come?"
"Demaela, what you suggest is suicide. You have a group of five humans, one elf, a great cat, and three demons. A pathetic group indeed, no matter what the strength of the armor. You cannot even begin to fathom the strength the Starlight warrior possesses."
"You think not, little brother?" she snapped, eyes blazing.
"Little brother? Demaela, I am the senior of the clan. You will show respect."
"Respect? You want respect from me? Heh. The very notion is amusing. Do you know to whom you speak?" she growled, engaging in a contest of wills.
"We took you in as an orphaned girl thirty years ago. Have you no gratitude?" he demanded haughtily, angry hisses and growls rising from the gathered creatures.
"Have you no respect for the warrior of the Clan of the Midnight Shadows?"
Dead silence greeted Mieren as she glared at the griffin in front of her, shoulders rigid and eyes molten fury.
"Tell me you jest, girl. You cannot be serious."
"My name is not Demaela. I am Mieren, one of the two Destroyers."
The griffin had backed several steps away, eyes widening. "You're lying. The warrior of the Clan of the Midnight Shadows is one of the strongest warriors in this or any other dimension."
"Try 'the strongest' and you'll have it right."
The griffin closed its eyes and began to tremble slightly. "After all these years, the Destroyer has emerged, and for what? To lead us to out deaths? You could not destroy the Starlight warrior three thousand years ago. Why do you think you can defeat him now?"
"Simple, little brother. I am stronger now and I have the power of the Armor of Chains in my possession."
The beast's eyes snapped open to regard her carefully. "The Armor of Chains? That's a legend, girl. Such energies needed to create the armor cannot be handled by a single person as the spell requires. Surely you didn't make it."
"No, I did not. The Starlight warrior made them to use against this dimension and one other. When I came in, six of the nine were on my side already. I converted the other three without too much trouble."
Many of the demons had long since collapsed to the ground, and those that hadn't looked as though they were about to. The ancient griffin looked at the Ronins and Warlords speculatively. "You're telling me that that odd group has the split version of the armor?"
"Not entirely. Only eight of the group possess armor. I am the ninth. The extra person over there is a guardian from the Clan of the Ancients."
The griffin slowly sank to his knees, bending his head and closing his eyes. "You arrived in the lighter flames, so you cannot be the same as your old self as given in the histories," he paused, glancing up at her wearily. "I will call the others whenever you so wish it, warrior of the Midnight Shadows."
"I wish you to call them now. And if any of you wish to speak to me for any reason, you are to call me Mieren if you want to catch my attention."
The Ronins and Warlords watched in awe as every demon on the field dropped to a kneeling position, more arriving by the second. The trees shook as elves began filtering into the ranks, sporting heavy chain mail and intricate weapons that ranged from bows to swords to eerily beautiful weapons that none of them had ever seen before. A few dwarves wandered into the gathering army, sporting heavy armor and vicious axes and broadswords.
One of the elves walked over to the Ronins, approaching Cye unerringly and dropping to one knee in submission, thick blond mane falling heavily about his shoulders.
"I give my army to you, bearer of the Torrent."
Cye started, blinking uncertainly at the others. He cleared his throat uneasily. "I don't want your… I mean that I won't have time to command any men while fighting. I want you to continue commanding them in my name," Cye stammered, trying his hardest not to insult what he believed to be the commander of the vast army of elves still building in the clearing.
The elf nodded gravely. "If I may ask your name if I am to command under it?" When Cye gaped he added quickly, "I mean no offense, bearer of the Torrent."
Cye shook his head numbly. "My name is Cye Mouri."
The blond elf looked up suddenly, dark golden eyes nearly bulging out of his head. "Mouri?"
Cye suddenly understood the elf's confusion and shock. His ancestor had helped to create the Starlight warrior, after all. He nodded slowly. The elf cleared his throat roughly. "If it would not offend you, might I know the names of the other bearers?"
Cye looked askance at Mieren, who rolled her eyes at him and nodded sharply.
"They are Cale, Dais, Sehkmet, Anubis, Ryo Sanada, Kento Fung, and Sage Date," he said slowly, indicating his friends as he moved around the group. "The guardian from the Clan of the Ancients is Kayura."
By this time, the poor commanding elf looked ready to faint. Steadying himself with an obvious effort, he asked a question that nearly caused Cye to lose it. "If I may ask, is the descendant of the Hashiba line here?"
Cye struggled to hold himself together, eyes misting. "The descendant of the Hashiba line is dead," he grated out, tears streaming down his cheeks. The elfin commander blanched and stepped back, bowing deeply and staying in that position.
"If it pleases you, you may claim justice for my improper question," he whispered, dropping to one knee with arms outstretched to his sides.
Cye blinked and shook his head. "No. But I ask that you lead the armies in our defense while we fight Talpa."
"Yes, Mouri of the Torrent," he murmured, standing slowly and saluting Cye one last time before trotting back to his men.
"Hey, Cye. You okay?" Kento asked, gripping his shoulder gently. He nodded quickly, taking a few calming breaths.
Mieren trotted back over to them, the armor of Strata solidifying around her as she neared them. "The army will be ready in a few minutes," she murmured.
"Question," Sage asked quickly before she could leave again.
"Yes, Sage?"
Sage froze, eyes bulging for a moment. "Umm, how is it that you can speak? And when did you figure out our names?"
Mieren only threw him a pained look with liquid sapphire eyes before turning to leave. Sage caught her shoulder before she had taken two steps.
"And what's wrong with your eyes?"
Mieren twitched in his grasp. "It came with the armor," she muttered, ripping free of his grasp and darting back to the small group of commanders that was building.
"I don't think that's right," Ryo muttered.
"I wouldn't know," Sage whispered, eyes narrowing. "I can't tell what she did."
The army in the clearing started stirring, lining up with surprising speed and order into individual groups with their commanders. Each group was lined up two abreast, weapons held ready if they had any.
"Shit," Cale drawled, eyes bulging. "There must be thousands of them."
"A little over ten thousand troops," Mieren muttered absently as she approached them again, white flames trailing from her armor.
"Question," Sage started again, refusing to be put off by her furious glare.
"What?"
"Why did they believe you so quickly when you told them who you were? And how did all these demons, elves, and dwarves gather so quickly?"
"They believed me because who I am is no one that the most senile liar would even joke about. The army gathered by teleporting to this general area via sorcery."
Sage nodded slowly, summoning his no-dachi when Mieren pulled unfolded her bow and readied an arrow. Slowly, the others called their weapons forth. Mieren reached around and tapped Ryo, Sage, and Kento on their shoulders briefly.
"Your powers of speed, intelligence, and strength are now unlocked, respectively. Use them well in this battle, brothers."
The flames around Mieren intensified for a moment, rising into an inferno of power as she called up dozens of portals onto the field, one in front of each gathered group and one for them.
Mieren sighed softly. "And thus the last battle has arrived. The warrior of the Clan of the Midnight Shadows shall once again battle the warrior of the Starlight Clan."
* * *
As they stepped into the courtyard of the Dynasty, arrows rained down on them from above, deflecting off of a shimmering dome covering the entire area. Warriors began pouring out of the portals in tight formation, launching counterattacks immediately, the Dynasty soldiers falling to their onslaught rapidly.
"My God," Cale breathed, the others barely hearing him. "If they had done this the first time they attacked, we wouldn't have stood a chance."
"The first time I attacked, I was only able to get a few of the demons to follow me here, the rest stayed behind like the cowards they were," Mieren snapped angrily.
"It wouldn't have done much good even if they had," Kayura murmured. "I don't think you were up to fighting Talpa just then anyway."
Mieren only scowled at her, refusing to respond to her simple statement of fact. Snapping up her bow, she released a few shots to finish off a couple of Dynasty soldiers that the others weren't having much luck taking out. Sage watched in appalled silence at the terrifying accuracy with which she handled the bow, his eyes burning as it brought up memories of the last time he had fought alongside his best friend.
Motioning to the others sharply, Mieren began forward in a swift trot. The Ronins fell in behind her immediately, but Kayura and the Warlords pushed in front of her to lead the way, knowing well the passages and traps. Hoards of husk soldiers came to oppose them, but none lasted for longer than it took one of them to raise their weapon.
Rounding one of the corners suddenly, the Warlords backpedaled suddenly, nearly tripping over Mieren and the Ronins in their frantic desire to move back. Mieren growled and raised her hands, bow vanishing in a flash of sapphire flames as she began chanting softly. Rounding the corner, she threw up her hands and released a vicious spell, the shock wave nearly knocking all of them off of their feet. Not slowing, Mieren continued down the halls, the others falling in behind her without question. Cye blanched at the charred six-legged heap on the floor just around the corned, eyes tightening and mouth twisting in disgust.
"You had better damn well start fighting," Mieren snarled over her shoulder. "When I'm in battle I better not be disturbed if you value your health."
They traveled in silence for a time, the Warlords occasionally releasing a sure-kill upon some of the creatures they encountered roaming the halls. After the first attack, Mieren refused to fight anything they ran into in the halls, merely stepping back and allowing the Ronins and Warlords to deal with it, White Blaze occasionally pulling down one of the lesser creatures.
Ryo opened his mouth to snap at her to see why she wasn't fighting, but Sage cut him off immediately, recognizing the look on his friend's face.
"She's not fighting because she's conserving her energy for the fight with Talpa," he murmured, Ryo squirming uneasily when his question was anticipated. "I think she intends to fight it alone while we guard her."
"Not quite, Sage," she muttered as she ran. "Ryo and I will fight while the rest of you guard us from outside attacks and occasionally lend a hand in the main battle. Ryo, wait until we get there before calling the Armor of Inferno."
Ryo jerked in surprise, nearly tripping. "How did you know about that?"
"White Blaze told me," she hissed at him, eyes flashing. "His carrying the Swords of Fervor is the only reason that I allowed him to come along."
"What would you like us to do?" Sage asked slowly.
"I want everyone to transform the second we get there. Cye, I want you to throw around spells as quickly as you can cast the things. Sage, I want you to come up with a good fighting position for the others."
Everyone nodded immediately, Sage with a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Anubis, Cale, Sehkmet, and Dais. I want you four to form a circle around Cye when we get there. Kento, Kayura and I will circle you five and basically wreak havoc around the room. In the confusion, Cye should be able to cause a bit of damage while you keep everyone away from him so he doesn't have to stop working to defend himself. No one will expect us to fight like that," Sage said carefully, earning himself several incredulous looks and one impressed nod from Mieren. Sage was not known for such daring tactics.
Kento looked around wearily, eyes dull. "Don't worry, guys. We'll win this. One way or another, we'll win." Several of the guys eyed him questioningly, but no one said anything.
They maintained the silence as they darted through the halls, pulling up short in front of a set of enormous doors. Dais and Cale nodded to each other and slammed into them, dropping to the ground instantly to get out of the way as Anubis and Sehkmet readied their sure-kills.
The group of ten people and one tiger entered the room cautiously when they encountered no resistance. A score of elves darted in around them, forming a protective circle around the group, six demons and a dwarf joining their ranks after a moment.
Mieren glared at the group angrily, temper flaring. "Stand guard in the halls," she snapped imperiously, waiting for them to vacate the room before spinning on her heels to inspect the surroundings. She slashed out suddenly with a fierce weave of power, something in the room shattering abruptly in response to her weave. Lights flickered fitfully along the walls, torches guttering and dying out. An answering flash of power nearly leveled everyone in the room.
Cye swore when he saw the Warlords and Kayura looking around blankly, unable to see in the blackness like the rest of them could. Casting a brief illumination spell, he grinned triumphantly as the room lit up suddenly in a fitful light that originated from nowhere and everywhere at once, creating an unnerving absence of shadows. Dais threw him a grateful look before spinning to counter a blow from a two-headed monstrosity that had wandered into the room.
Cye wobbled and fell to his knees as his armor tightened suddenly, watching in horror as Sage and Kento fell promptly to the furious blows of dark elves that seemed to be crawling out of the woodwork. His armor flashed a brilliant sea blue. Answering orange and bright green flashes shot around the room. Cye looked up with a grin twisting his face. Ryo had called the Armor of Inferno.
The momentary weakness over, Sage and Kento continued their assaults full force, clearing huge swathes of dark elves from the endless ranks around them. Fireballs and flashes of lightning ran wildly through the endless numbers, creating piles of unmoving elves and demons.
Grinding his teeth, Cye attempted one of Mieren's spells, summoning forth a dangerous amount of energy as he commanded the floor to swallow the army raging across it. Ever so slowly, the stones beneath him began to obey, dragging down demon and dark elf alike into the cold depths of the stone before Cye commanded it to release a final crushing blow to its victims.
* * *
Sage darted wildly through the endless field of dark elves, slashing his no-dachi frantically to keep the masses of weapons away from his sides. Growling furiously, he completed his transformation from centaur to half-wolf, kicking out freely with his hooves as the elves stared at him in shock, undoubtedly watching the rippling of his armor as it shifted along with him.
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
Sage spun to face the sound of his friend's voice, golden eyes widening as he saw Kento pulled under a mass of fierce weapons. He leapt through the air, easily clearing the tiny elves to land almost on top of where his friend had fallen. He lashed out viciously with his no-dachi to free his friend from the furious blows. Blinking in surprise, Sage began to frantically scan the room when he didn't see his friend where he had fallen.
The floor erupted on the other side of the room, showering dust and bits of stone onto the terrified army as Kento jumped out of the floor, laughing uproariously. Sage couldn't help but grin. It appeared that his cougar-like friend had figured out a bit of elemental manipulation recently and was using it freely.
Kento threw him a peace sign before diving into the floor again, surfacing again halfway across the room, much to the horror and shock of the elves in that area.
Sage grinned and let out a war cry, calling a second no-dachi to his free hand before going into a whirlwind of slashes and blows. A no-dachi of steel in his right hand and one of emerald flames in his left, he began to tear around the room at full speed, cutting huge swaths in the ranks around him as he ran. Those unlucky enough to be directly in front of his maniacal charge were crushed by his sheer mass.
He skidded to a halt as he nearly ran over Kayura. She had backed into a corner and was struggling to hold her own against the innumerable dark elves pressing her in close combat. Sage ran down the group of elves tormenting the woman and snagged her in his left hand as he temporarily banished his no-dachi of flames. He nearly lost his arm when Kayura cried out and slashed at him with her swords before she blinked up at him in startled recognition.
Pulling the woman to his side, he concentrated fiercely for a moment, clearing off the ridges on the back of his armor. Tossing her onto his back, he began his vicious rounds again, chuckling when Kayura began tossing out sure kills from his back while trying to cling to him unsteadily.
"Thanks Sage," she called out over the din, clinging to him frantically when he made a rather sharp turn.
Sage didn't have time to answer when a flash of energy leveled the castle and everything and everyone in it.
* * *
Mieren grabbed Ryo's arm and flashed out of the room with him, depositing him roughly to the floor as they appeared in what appeared to be someone's private chambers. The rooms were luxuriously decorated, fine silks and velvets covering the king-sized bed, carved posts inlaid with gold supporting the canopy. Ryo gaped at the collection of fine sculptures and vases lining the walls and shelves, mouth hanging limply at the wealth decorating the rooms, White Blaze standing rigid by his side.
Sneering at the fine furnishings, Mieren glanced around angrily, setting fire to the bed and walls with a simple gesture. The fine fabrics shriveled and melted in the flames, heavy smoke rising through the still air. Mieren grabbed his arm and teleported again.
Arriving in a huge chamber, Mieren dropped him unceremoniously and tensed, eyes flashing pools of molten sapphire. She lashed out with one hand, a crack of lightning dissipating a concealing spell, revealing a horrifyingly tall man with white locks falling around his neck and shoulders around the blood red faceplate of the armor covering the entirety of his face. Heavy armor covered the rest of him, dark gray and black with patches of silver in places. Eyes glowing crimson from behind his faceplate, he raised a broadsword trailing black flames in front of him.
Before he had time to do more than take a step in their direction, Ryo called the Armor of Inferno, feeling his friends wilt momentarily as their power was drained. He didn't have time to feel bad about it, rolling frantically out of the way of Talpa's first slash, coming to his feet with fervor swords in his hands.
Mieren walked calmly between them, shifting to her dragon form as she turned to face her opponent. The blue armor around her rippled in protest, struggling to keep from shifting as thick wings appeared on her back, the forefinger and leading edge covered by subarmor. Ryo gasped at the wings that formed, eyes watering. No longer were they black, instead so dark a blue as to appear black, the light reflecting off of her scales in a shimmering sapphire. Some of her hair spilled from under her helmet, the thick mane no longer the snowy white that he remembered, spilling across her shoulders in pale silvery blue waves.
Rising to her full height on oddly jointed legs, Mieren casually swatted aside the first blow leveled in her direction, chanting wildly. Ryo blinked. He knew that spell. She had been calling out that one when she refused to fight Kento, straining to summon more energy than she could safely handle. Talpa scowled at her and began in with the same series of words.
Ryo rushed in, slashing out with his fervor swords in an attempt to distract him while Mieren completed the spell she was all but screaming now, wild flames shooting about her serpentine form. Talpa snarled wordlessly and flung Ryo to the other end of the chamber, resuming his chanting.
Ryo, to me, Mieren's sharp order brought him to his feet and running to her.
Without missing a beat, Mieren began another spell while energies whipped about her, slinging a vicious slash at Talpa while still chanting the first spell. Talpa cut off his spell with a roar and charged, Ryo blocking the lethal blow from striking Mieren to the ground as she stared blankly ahead. Looking to the heavens with liquid eyes, she began to speak in the language that Ryo understood, shocking both him and Talpa into momentary stillness.
Begin your sure-kill. Ryo blinked but complied, carefully waiting for the last words of her spell before finishing his battle cry.
"Turning against the light, an angel falls from the earth. He has been banished by the light of the world and dimension. Turning against the wonders of life, the dark warrior destroys the world. I will bring about this destruction! Exodus!"
"Rage of Inferno!"
The Exodus spell combined with Ryo's sure-kill as they shot across the room, Mieren slinging another spell by the blast and maintaining it vehemently. The newest spell shot by the other two as though they were standing still, slamming into the black dome that Talpa had raised in his defense. The faster of the attacks liquefied upon impact with the shield, causing the obsidian dome to ripple in protest. The combination of the Exodus spell and Ryo's sure-kill shot past the shield, passing through it as though it were not there and slamming into the horrified warrior.
The world went white as the powers ignited upon contact with their target.
As the blinding light cleared, Mieren scowled down at Talpa's still form darkly, face twisted into a contemptuous sneer.
"How stupid can you be?" she spat at the unmoving form. "You fell for the same trick twice. When will you learn that you can only block a single spell at a time?"
Not nearly as stupid as yourself, girl, to waste such energies on my shadow.
Mieren spun sharply to face the real Talpa, eyes misting as she saw the thick blade he held to Ryo's throat, having slunk around behind the boy during the explosion without his noticing. Ryo looked up with clouded eyes.
"I'm sorry, Mieren. I didn't see him," he whispered, closing his eyes.
Mieren paled slowly, dropping her arms to her side in defeat.
Come here, or I kill him.
"Mieren, don't!" Ryo called out, squirming in Talpa's iron grip fitfully, ignoring the sting of the sword against his throat.
Mieren looked at him with stormy blue eyes, tears slipping down her cheeks. Sighing softly, she started forward with her head down, tears falling to the stone floor unheeded. Talpa sneered as she neared him, jerking the blade harder against Ryo's throat, drawing a thin line of blood.
Ditch the armor, girl.
She banished the armor as she drew nearer, shifting back into her human form, deep navy blue locks of hair falling about her face, complimenting her shimmering sapphire eyes. Ryo's breath caught in his throat as she drew nearer, finding himself unable to tear his gaze away from her dull, lifeless eyes. Talpa slashed out suddenly with his sword, black flames trailing through the air as he cleaved Mieren in half.
Tears slipped from Ryo's eyes as he watched Mieren fall to the floor, mouth working as she struggled to draw a breath that she didn't need, her eyes dimming rapidly. Snarling, Ryo wrenched free of Talpa's grip now that the sword of black flames no longer pressed against his throat, restricting his movements.
"Rage of Inferno!"
Talpa laughed and raised his hands to block the blast contemptuously, losing control of his shield as a second blast seared him from behind. Ryo's sure-kill slammed into him as he spun to face his new attacker, nearly knocking him off of his feet when the blast detonated.
As he completed his turn, he began to spit out a spell, freezing in mid-syllable when a scimitar of opal flames, a blue dragon etched on either side of the blade, slid through the breastplate of his armor. In shock and disbelief, Talpa raised his eyes to the slender girl standing at the scimitar's end, her sapphire eyes seething.
Mieren began speaking, her words running together into an unintelligible slur. The last word rang out through the Dynasty as she shot the gathered energies through the blade of her scimitar. "EXODUS!!!"
A bar of molten light surged from Mieren's blade, passing completely through Talpa as the true power of the Exodus spell was revealed to Ryo's disbelieving eyes. The blinding flash of her spell and his sure-kill was made to look like a joke as the power of the Exodus spell was cast in its full glory by the creator of the spell, leveling the castle and landscape to the horizon and beyond.
* * *
Sage was the first of the Ronins to lever himself off of the ground, wincing at the carnage around him. The castle lay in rubble, broken bodies heaped carelessly in forever growing mounds as a few elves searched through the chaos for survivors. Gentle hands slid under his arms, easing him to the ground and removing his helmet.
He looked up into the deepest green eyes he had ever seen, the delicate face framed by fire-gold locks of slightly singed hair. The elfin woman smiled reassuringly at him as she placed one hand on his forehead, delicate golden flames licking her palm. He sighed in relief as the pain and weariness was washed from him slowly, smiling up at the tattered young woman in gratitude. Rising slowly, he returned the favor, grinning when she blinked in shock and confusion for a moment before smiling shyly at him in wordless thanks. She darted off before he could ask her if she had found any of the others.
Looking around at the destruction, Sage slowly came to realize that it would be easier to search in a human form. Grinning ruefully, he realized why the elfin woman had been so skittish around him. He was sure that she was not accustomed to seeing something that looked like a bad cross between a centaur and a werewolf. Shifting back, he banished his armor to begin rooting around in the rubble, straining to move some of the stones even with the help of his subarmor.
A few paces from where he had awakened, he found Kayura. She was crushed badly by the stones that had been thrown onto her from the explosion and was gasping weakly for breath. Sage pulled her free, healing her as quickly as his exhausted mind would allow. Kayura blinked in surprise and began looking around.
"Have you seen any of the others?" she asked softly.
"Not yet. I just got up myself."
The stones below them erupted into a fountain of pebbles and sand, knocking them both to the ground. A massive cougar clad in orange and white armor hopped out of the ground, shaking the dust off of himself furiously.
"Kento," Sage growled softly.
"Yea?"
"Watch where you're going."
Kento glanced over to where Sage and Kayura were still sitting on the ground after having been so roughly deposited there. He grimaced ruefully.
"Uh, sorry."
Sage brushed some of the dust out of his hair, making a face at his friend. "Have you seen any of the others?"
"Nope. Just woke up and decided to surface. Didn't know you were there…"
"Then turn back so you don't scare the elves half to death and help us look."
It didn't take the trio long to find where Cye was buried. All they had to do was follow the string of cursing that was raging from under a particularly deep pile of rubble. Kento grinned at one of the phrases that reached his ears, chortling merrily as he remembered how creative Sehkmet could get when upset.
Raising his arms, Kento sent the rubble flying off of the group buried below, smirking knowingly when he saw a molten turquoise dome containing Cye and four Warlords within, all of which were swearing loudly. Sehkmet and Dais seemed to be engrossed in a competition of who could cause Cye to turn the reddest, and judging by the expression on the younger boy's face, they had been at it for awhile.
Seeing the debris cleared from the shield he had thrown up frantically when he felt the blast coming, Cye let out a deep breath and allowed the pale blue dome to dissipate. Hopping out of the hole, obviously eager to be away from the Warlords, he trotted over to Sage quickly.
"Have you seen Ryo or Mieren?" he asked, voice thick with worry.
Sage blinked, suddenly realizing what the Warlords had been up to. They hadn't been trying to drive him up the wall for their own amusement. Their efforts had been to keep him from having a nervous breakdown by driving him to the brink of insanity. Realizing that his silence could be taken the wrong way, he cleared his throat and tried to reassure the younger boy.
"We just barely got ourselves out. Haven't really had too much time to look."
Cye nodded and began chanting softly. A bar of sea blue light shot into the sky above where he stood, answering lights shooting up around Sage, Kento and the Warlords. Looking around frantically, Cye finally spotted what he was looking for, a pale bar of red light on the other side of where the castle used to be, a flickering aura of blue a few paces from it.
The others followed in a mad dash as Cye sprinted across the pile of stones that used to be a castle, heading unerringly towards where he had seen the flash of light.
Seeing an arm covered in red and white armor, Cye began flinging stones rapidly out of his way, falling back when the remaining debris shifted to the side suddenly, telltale traces of golden orange energy trailing from the mass of shattered rocks.
White Blaze jumped out of the rubble and off of his master, roaring angrily and shaking the dirt out of his thick fur as he glanced around irately. Snorting softly, he grabbed Ryo's arm and finished pulling the boy of the ground, snuffling his face gently. Ryo groaned and twitched weakly.
Sage pushed by Cye and knelt down by Ryo, taking his friend's head in his hands and concentrating fiercely. He hissed angrily when his energies tried to die out on him, blinking in surprise when bronze flames rose around him, steadying his powers. He looked up at Kayura in shock, staring numbly at her answering shrug.
"I didn't know you could do that," he murmured as he turned back to Ryo.
"You learn a few things hanging around people like Mieren, you know."
Sage grinned wryly, concentrating his energies into healing the tattered remains of his friend. He was relieved when Ryo was feeling well enough to take a wild swing at him, nearly decking him in his blind attack.
"Calm down, Ryo. It's just me."
Ryo blinked uncertainly, squinting slightly. He hadn't closed his eyes in time when Mieren cast the Exodus spell at its full strength and was still having trouble seeing. He was certain that he would have been blind had Sage not healed him. Grumbling something about Mieren that Sage was sure wasn't complimentary, Ryo pushed himself stiffly to his feet, swaying slightly.
Sage looked up at Cye's startled gasp, brushing past the Warlords and a stunned Kento to move over to the still form lying on the ground. A sharp breath hissed through his teeth when he saw what they were looking at.
Mieren lay curled up in a fetal position on the ground, still quivering from the strain of casting the last spell. Sapphire eyes stared ahead blankly, matching blue locks of hair falling across her bloody face. Rowen's armor orb sparked softly from her hand, catching the meager light from the angry red sun on the horizon. Sage dropped to his knees beside her, eyes misting. He didn't bother trying to heal her, knowing that she wasn't sporting any wounds. The blood covering her was not her own. He leaned forward slowly, lifting a few strands of bright blue hair in one hand gingerly.
"What have you done?" he asked for the second time that day.
She looked at him blankly for a moment, opening her mouth to speak but stopping in confusion. Her lips twisted wryly when she noted the blue hair in his hand.
"It would appear that I have accepted the armor," she said slowly, rising shakily to her feet. Snowy membranous wings appeared from behind her, wrapping around her firmly as she shivered slightly in the still air. "As to what else I have done, I have defeated the Starlight warrior after three thousand years of waiting."
Everyone around her started at her casual statement of her actions. "Are you sure?" Kayura breathed. Mieren smiled weakly and nodded, leaning against the woman for support when she staggered slightly, too weary to remain upright. Kayura smiled hesitantly, slipping one arm around the trembling figure.
"Come. I will open a gateway back to your dimension."
Cye looked over to her sadly, nodding jerkily. A flash of white light enveloped Mieren for a moment, fading from around her as a portal opened a few feet from them. Noticing Mieren's wobbling, the Warlords hurried through, followed by White Blaze and the others there. Cye hung back, watching as Kayura motioned him towards the gateway. Lifting Mieren off of Kayura, he motioned for her to continue without him.
"You can let go of the portal. I can create one for myself," he murmured.
Mieren regarded him carefully for a moment, shrugging and dropping her weaving. Letting go of the young boy, she slid to the ground, sighing heavily.
"You wanted to speak to me alone, I take it."
Cye nodded slowly. "Why is it that you can use Rowen's armor?" he whispered, choking on his friend's name.
Mieren looked away from him for a moment, staring blankly across the endless ruins of the dimension. Occasional portals winked in and out as groups of demons and elves called them forth to return home. Sighing weakly, she turned her eyes to the young elfin boy regarding her with watering eyes and a quivering jaw.
"It was created by magic from my dimension. Being the strongest in the ability to use the arts, naturally I was able to control it, magic being quite simple to manipulate if you are familiar with the spell. I ask that you allow me to keep the armor orb."
Cye blinked. "You aren't intending on coming back with us, are you?"
"No. There is nothing for me there, now. I am going back to my dimension. For the first time in three centuries, the people there will accept who I am, and I long to be with my own kind."
"What about Ryo, Sage and Kento?"
"What about them?"
Cye smiled weakly. "Aren't they your own kind?"
"Physically, yes. Mentally, no."
"One last thing. What happened to Rowen?"
Mieren blinked slowly, tears threatening to fall from her sapphire eyes. "He died. You know that, so why must you ask?"
"Then what happened to your eyes? And your hair?"
"Comes with taking possession of the armor forcefully. If I forced your armor off on someone else, their eyes would turn sea blue and their hair reddish auburn. Natural selection of the armor would not have caused any of this. There's nothing that I can really do about it."
"Why can you speak?"
"Having this armor creates a link between myself and the others with the Armors of Chains. I can hear your minds if I listen, and so can speak."
Nodding wearily, Cye pushed himself to his feet. "Is there no way I can talk you into coming back with me?"
"No, Cye. I will not go back."
Sighing softly, he turned away from Mieren, eyes watering. Without saying anything, he opened a gateway of his own and stepped through into Mia's yard.
He was immediately bombarded with questions, none of which he was in the mood to answer just then.
Everyone fell silent as he looked up with dull eyes. "Mieren's gone back to her dimension. She said that she wanted to go home, to be with her own kind. And she kept the armor orb."
Silence greeted him when he finished. Sage was the first to clear his throat and ask a question that the others couldn't bear to put words to.
"Did you find out about the armor?"
"Yea," he sighed. "She said that she can manipulate any type of magic she recognizes. Her eyes and her hair changed to what they are because of the armor. If we gave our armor to anyone else, their hair and eyes would change to match ours. It also creates some sort of mental link so she can speak."
Silence swamped the yard for the second time. Mia finally noticed that they were back and sprinted into the yard, eyeing them carefully.
"What happened?" she asked, her eyes demanding an explanation.
"We won and Mieren went home," Ryo summed up, turning to go inside.
Cye's eyes misted. He could still feel the pain tearing at Mieren's mind from when she had cradled Rowen in her arms, tears streaming down her pale cheeks.
The others followed Ryo silently. No words could ease the pain tearing at their minds now that the heat of battle was over or describe the burning in their minds and hearts arising from the loss of their friends. Nothing anyone could say would change the fact that they had lost a close friend and that a member of their group had abandoned them.
End of Midnight Shadows
To be continued in Obsidian Fires
Not that this story is a bit long here… coming in at 264 pages! And that's only THIS part!!! I think I need to be committed to a loony bin for this.
Oh, and for anyone who's curious, yes, this is where I picked up my penname. Certain people seem to think that the main character was based on me (it wasn't intentional, it just kinda happened), so I got stuck with it.
R&R! For the love of all things slimy and perverse, R&R. If I can write something this long, you can take a few seconds to tell me you love me. Not that I'm shamelessly begging or anything. I will if I have to, don't make me do it. Review!