Chapter Two

"I am known as Anglarana," the silver-haired woman said, her bright eyes firmly fixed on the men before her.

"Why did you just help us now, and how did you know that creature?" Sage asked, suspicion lacing his tone. Anglarana held up a pale hand. "Please, I will answer all of your questions soon enough, but for now I think it best that you rest and see that your friend has some time to recover from the attack." None of the Ronins replied, but they also didn't make any move to go back inside. Anglarana stood for a moment staring back at the men with something akin to sympathy shining in her eyes, then turned and disappeared into the shadows of the forest surrounding the lake. Kento shook his head confusedly, "Well, I don't know what either of those people were or what they were about. But I am now really starving." The rest of the Ronins broke into an uneasy laughter releasing some of the tension the encounter had brought. Rowen and Ryo helped Cye to his feet and everyone slowly made their way inside to eat a the now cold dinner. For no reason at all, they did not concern themselves that a stranger was lurking so nearby somehow instinctively trusting the strange woman with ancient eyes.

The sun was at its peak the next day and the Ronins were outside training for their new enemy as they had been since the break of dawn. The sky was cloudless and as blue as the water of the lake below and there was only a slight breeze to ruffle the surface and the hair of combatants. Everything was as it should be. It was hard to believe that mere hours ago they had fought with an enemy strong enough to easily withstand Ryo's feared attack. Mia walked outside laden with a tray of lemonade escorted by Whiteblaze. She was practically mobbed by the guys as they went for the frosty glasses. Once everyone had received their refreshment from the gathering heat of the day, they sat in the shade and enjoyed a moment of relaxation. Whiteblaze lay next to Ryo with his tail twitching contentedly ignoring the easy chatter amongst the guys. His nose twitched then his ears snapped forward on his head. His nose twitched some more as he agilely sprung up from the ground and ran into the forest. "Hey! Whiteblaze, where are you going?" Ryo called after the tiger but Whiteblaze did not respond. All sounds in the forest stilled breaking the serenity they had enjoyed earlier. Everyone stood and stared into the thick foliage uneasily. After a lengthy silence where even the birds held their breath a figure emerged from the spot where Whiteblaze had disappeared accompanied by the tiger. It was Anglarana, now carrying a five foot wooden walking stick.

"You came back," Cye said softly, his voice unsure. Anglarana nodded,

"Yes, I am always true to my word."

"Then will you tell us about that monster?" Ryo urged. She nodded again.

"Come sit down in the shade with us, I can fix another cup of lemonade," Mia offered with a welcoming smile.

Anglarana returned her smile. "Thank you, but I don't need anything to drink." They all returned to their seats with Anglarana sitting with her legs tucked underneath her across from them. "What do you wish to know?"

The Ronins glanced at one another. "Let's start with that creature from last night," Rowen replied.

"All right." She briefly closed her eyes gathering together her thoughts, "Crynis is what some have called an elemental demon who thrives on the destructive forces of nature. He is originally from the Nether Realm, but escaped from Talpa's control two thousand years ago. He ravaged this world commanding the chaotic forces of nature. Talpa, enraged with Crynis's betrayal, fought with him but the cost proved too high to be worth his wrath so eventually he just ignored Crynis leaving him to destroy as he would. My people assembled and attacked Crynis while he was still weak from his battle with Talpa. We put him into an unnatural slumber and trapped his body underground. He has stayed there undisturbed until now."

"What happened to set him free?" Mia asked.

"I'm not sure. But I do know that someone managed to waken his mind. From there it was only a matter of time before Crynis could break through his cage." Anglarana paused for a moment in reflection, then raised her head proudly. "My people have guarded his prison all this time. But our numbers have greatly diminished over time and we were forced to go into hiding. Recently, I felt a great disturbance in nature and came to investigate, I have been wandering the world for over two years searching for the source. I originally thought it to be Crynis, but now I am not so sure. I have been able to pinpoint the source of the disturbance to this area. Do you know of any kind of disturbance of that sort which has occurred here recently?"

"Yeah, Talpa tried to take over the world twice," Sage said.

"Not to mention all the Dynasty's attacks in between," Cye added. Anglarana's face fell slightly, "Oh dear," she whispered, "that explains it then." She raised her voice to address the others, "From the fact that you all are still here, I assume that you defeated Talpa. But what of the Dynasty?"

"We destroyed that too," Ryo replied.

"Not all of it, apparently. There must have been one that escaped you."

"Why do you say that?" Mia asked.

"Crynis is very strong, but due to his nature as an elemental demon he has little patience and no ability to plan long-term battles. Elemental demons such as he care nothing for domination nor control, they only take pleasure in destruction. His fighting and control on the battlefield last night betray the will of another. I believe he was freed by someone and they are now using him to gain some goal. What that is, I cannot say but I have an uneasy feeling that it is worse than any kind of desire to dominate." A silence fell over the group as they considered the new information.