Chapter 10: Armor of Black Lighting
I sat in the dungeon, exhausted and bleeding from the beating Koga and Dan had just given me. Hold on Serena, we are coming to get you. I heard and jerked my head up ignoring the pain that shot through me. "Ryo?" I asked in a whisper half praying it was him. I could have sworn it was him. Maybe it was my imagination. I thought, but for some reason I felt it wasn't my imagination. I have to get out of here. Lets see: one window but there are bars on it. There's one door but its locked. Oh brother and I thought Saber was depressing sometimes! I've got to think. There is no such thing as an escape poof prison! There has to be a way out. I have to get these chains off me but how? I asked myself, and then a lesson Saber and his father taught me long ago came back. He told me if I ever was put in ropes, chains or any other restraining devices I had to stay calm. Then I get my hands out of the restraining device by... "Serena?" I heard a voice ask, and recognized the voice. "Yes. I'm in here!" I said. A second later the door busted open and in stepped Corin and the others. Kento pulled the chains off me but as I stood, I fell against the wall I had been sitting against. I had been beaten so much it took a moment to get my balance.

"You okay kid?" Kento asked as I started to follow them. "Sure just black and blue." I said in a bit of a whisper, I was just waiting for the warlords to come around the corner. "That would be expected. Looks like they almost killed you in those beatings." I heard Dais say. I shook my head then stop at the pain. "No, they need me alive remember? Anyway it's a trick I learned: Let them beat on you awhile, then act worse off then you really are. They thought I was so bad off they didn't worry about me trying to escape." I said but froze when I heard a noise. Cale saw this, as well as Ryo. "Don't worry Serena: the Dynasty doesn't even know we are here. Or that you are gone" Ryo said, and then walked toward where Corin was leading. "Scared, Icefire?" Cale asked. "No just cautious. If we are going to get caught and imprisoned I might as well have stayed in the dungeon." I said, and then the question came.

"How did they capture you?" Sekmeht asked. I wished he hadn't asked. "It was Jack or should I say Arco. He pretended to be human and then had Mia attacked, so it was easy for him to get to me. Then on the way back he had me attacked and that how I ended up here." I said wishing he hadn't asked me that. I was so stupid to give my trust out like that. Then Corin pulled Harry to the side. "Harry, can you promise me something?" "It depends." Harry said wondering what he wanted. "Promise me you will look after Serena. She's stubborn, high spirited and she's still young. She acts like she can take care of herself without help but she still need a little looking after." Harry chuckled a bit. "Don't tell her that," he said. Then Corin garbed his arm and handed him something. "Here, my armor is different from the others. My armor can be given to a person, but only if I willing give it and only if the person is worthy of the armor. A friend of Serena's named Saber made sure of that. You are worthy of the armor and I cannot carry on like this: I'm not worth the armor and I can't protect Serena. You can; please take it." Corin said.

Then an arrow came speeding towards them. Anubis saw this one and warned them. Corin pushed the armor orb into Harry's hand and pushed Harry out of the way. "You should have stayed dead Anubis. The staff of the Ancient should not have brought you back." Dan said, appearing from the shadows. Then another came speeding toward Corin. He jumped out of the way. "What do you think are doing Corin? Master Arco is very displeased with you for siding with the Ronins." Koga said from behind Dan. " And you Icefire we are not done with you. You will serve the Dynasty." Kaila said coming beside Koga. " I will never serve the Dynasty! I would sooner die!" Both Corin and I yelled at the warlords, and, at the same time, we looked at each other.

"It feels good to say that." Corin said to me. I smiled and nodded. Then looked at my friends: we all agreed silently but I caught Ryo's eye and we both went first. " Armor of Wildfire! Toa Jin!" "Armor of Icefire! Power of Spirit!" "We called on our armors and the others followed all but Corin. " Just call on the armor! Focus on the virtue of honor!" Corin yelled to Harry. It was then that I realized what he was talking about. " Armor of Black Lighting! Power of Honor!" Harry disappeared in a bright flash of light, and reappeared in armor, the armor look exactly like Sage's but it was brown where Sage's was green and you could see that there were throwing stars built in at the wrist of the armor like mine. The warlords looked shock, to say the least! We all were, but Corin had a bit of a smile.

Then he turned to me and I swear for a few minutes time must have stood still. "I can't keep fighting in the armor of Black Lighting and I can't be a Ronin because I'm not the right one for the armor. And I can't be near to help you, but Harry can: And he is the one the armor has chosen." I nodded because for some reason I felt it was true. "I'll help against the warlords, but if we get out of this alive, I'm going back to Chicago. And I think I'll help some of those kids on the streets like you helped me. When you defeat the Dynasty come and visit me" he said, giving me his schoolboy smile, a smile I would miss, and then time started up again.

"How could you! You traitor! You give your armor to a mortal and you go against Master Arco!" Kaila yelled. " Yes I do! I will never serve that dirty son of a ^%$# again! The armor of Black Lighting will never be his!" Corin yelled his eyes flashed in anger and hate for Arco and the Dynasty. "You can get out of here Corin. You don't have your armor anymore and we can take it from here" Anubis said. I noticed that he had a slight smile because Corin had turned from the Dynasty, like he done in the first Dynasty War. "No Anubis. I can still fight and I have a old score to settle" Corin said. That's the Corin I remember. I thought and then I took advantage of the warlord's shock and attacked. Koga went down hard as I slashed at him. "That was for attacking me." Kaila threw one of her daggers at me: I dodged and slashed at her left side that she had left unprotected. "That was for kidnapping me." Next was Dan, but Corin helped: he had a few throwing stars left, and threw them. Dan ducked and I attacked. "And that was for beating the living daylights out of me." I said, and then looked around with a look that asked: who's next? Then we heard a loud laughing and I turned to see Arco who was watching with an amused look on his face. "Arco." I said the name like it was made me want to throw up!

"That's Acro? He looks human!" Ryo said. "That why I got tricked: he looks human but he's a nether demon." I said shaking with fury. " Very good Icefire. I didn't think you would last this long in battle with you weak from being beaten upon by my warlords." "I'll fight you as long as my body and spirit lets me, Arco." I replied: This battle, and any other battle against Acro, was personal to me now. " We will see how you fare against my Dynasty soldiers." He said grinning wickedly. " Too scared to fight me one on one?" I challenged: That knocked the grin right off Arco's face. " You are foolish to challenge me Icefire. We will see what kind of a fighter you are, after my soldiers are done with you," He said in a deadly voice. " Coward!" I yelled as he disappeared and we were surrounded by Dynasty soldiers and some very angry warlords.

"Split up! Serena, you and Harry are with me. The rest of you split into pairs: we can't lose anyone!" Ryo yelled as we all split up and fought. We back outside of the castle for more room to fight. The battle was a mostly a burl because of what happen later, but I remember a bit toward the end. Harry was using his exploding throwing stars on Kaila while I handled some soldiers. Where is Koga? That snake had better not have slithered off. I thought to myself, and then I heard someone behind me. " Serena watch out!" I turn toward Kaila: She was about to use her sure kill on me. " No! Black Lighting!" The surge of black lighting hit Kaila knocking her away and unconscious but then Harry dropped to the ground.

I went over to him and remembered what I felt like when I first used my sure kill. " He'll be alright: Using your sure kill the first time always drains you, but he has not had the armor long enough to be used to it." Ryo said, checking to see if Harry was breathing. " Lets get back to the others. You need to be healed and we need to get him back to house." Ryo said but then: " Guys look out behind you!" We both heard Cye's warning, but a little too late. "Wind of Pain!" "Chains of Fear!" I wasn't sure who the attacks was meant for me or Ryo, but Ryo shoved me away and both of the attacks hit Ryo full on. " Ryo!" I screamed, but then Koga came at me so I couldn't get to him. " You dirty %^$ if he is dead I'll kill you!" I yelled. I was about to kick Koga's ass but Cye step in the way. " Find Ryo: I'll deal with him" He said, and I took off praying Ryo was alive. Please don't let him be dead. Please let him be alive! I saw where the blasts had knocked Ryo back but I couldn't find him. Then Kayrua and Sekmeht came to me. " Serena the soldiers have left, but they're going to regroup. We've got to leave." Kayura said.

"But what about Ryo?" "What do you mean?" "He's gone! Koga and Dan blasted him and now he' s gone!" I said, getting scared that Ryo could have been captured. " This isn't good. He's... What's wrong?" Kayrua asked seeing the look on my face. " Either the Dynasty got him or he's.... dead." I said, because even though our connection by the armors was still growing, I refused to think Ryo was dead. Kayura looked over her shoulder. " We have to leave. We can't keep fighting like this, Harry's unconscious, you and some of the others are injured." "I won't leave Ryo here!" I said to Kayura and Cye who had just came over, Sekmeht had also disappeared. I think they knew I wasn't about to leave without Ryo willingly. I half turned, feeling a hand garb my arm but then I felt a sharp pain and everything went black.

Far away the spirit of an old man watched me refuse to leave without Ryo. "She is a lot like you Wildfire but she is a little too stubborn." On the ground Ryo, who was still in his armor, started to wake up. "Where am... Ancient! Am I dead?" The Ancient smiled faintly. "No Wildfire you not dead. I have brought you here. Icefire is being tested."" Can't I go back to them?" Ryo asked curious as he stood. " This test involves you being missing: it wouldn't be the same if you was there. Do not worry; you will be able to go back soon enough. You can watch your friends but you will not be able to help them Wildfire." The Ancient said. Ryo nodded and saw Sekmeht use an injection on me to knock me out. "She going to kill him for that later." Ryo said and watched as we all returned to Mia's home.
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Hi Icefire here, first thing I like to say I don't own Ronin Warriors. Second I like to say this story isn't just mine, it also belongs to my friend and partner Harry since he and I are co writing this story. Harry helping me a lot in this story so he deserves the credit too.

Harry is now the bearer of the armor of Black Lighting but Ryo is gone! The other Ronin's think he's dead, and because Serena refused to leave without Ryo the others had to go to extreme measures to make her come. But why is Serena being tested and what for? Why did the Ancient One make Ryo leave the team? And what is Serena going to do when she wakes up at Mia's? It looks like you have to find out in Chapter 11: Nightmare