Chapter 12
As Hope left Mia, she was wondering where to find the next of the Seasonal Armor bearers who would take over for the current generation, when she almost stepped on a snake that was moving along the road.
Hope looked at the snake and froze, it was a pit viper. "Oh man, what tricks in Seckmeht up to now?" She asked, backing slowly not making any sudden movement to frighten the snake into biting. "Asher! Where are you Asher! When I get my hands on you, you're going to have NO rodents for a week!" A young male voice called out.
The snake hissed and flicked his tounge as a darkly tanned young man with spiked green hair and dark brown eyes walked over to Hope and the snake. Hope's mind's eye flash back to one of her dreams.
:flashback:
"So which way Hope?" A male voice asked to her side, Hope turned to face a young man she couldn't make out his face but she knew he was a friend.
:end flash back:
The young man looked at Hope then at her sub armor. "Who are you, what are you wearing, and how well does it protect you against snake bites?" He asked, as he carefully carried the pit viper back to its cage.
"Hope, sub armor and I don't know." She said quickly. "My name is George Anderson, and you already met one of my charges." The young man said, looking carefully at the pit viper he was carrying in his arms.
George carefully escorted Hope to his office. "Got to feed my pets. You're welcome to look around: Just don't touch any of the snake equipment." he said. Hope looked at him. "Hey, how did you escape from the Warlords and soldiers?" She asked him. "I just laid low. Taking care of snakes teaches you how to stay calm, and not attract attention." He answered, as he grabbed several mice from a cage.
Hope nodded but looked away as he fed his snakes, even though she spent some time with her uncle she still couldn't bring herself to watch a snake eat. "So you stay here alone?" "I work here, when I wasn't attending school, atlest before the Dynasty attacked. I'm an exchange student from Canada." George said, heading toward the snake cages.
"So I see." Hope said looking around. "So answer me something." He asked suddenly from behind her. "Why are you wearing sub armor. You aren't one of the Warlords." Hope quickly switched to street clothes. "That is a long story, and one I think you might be interested in." Hope quickly responded, forgetting she had been in sub armor, she was so use to it she didn't think about it.
She turned to face George, he was watching her cautiously and with a bit of suspicion. *And I can't blame him.* She thought to herself. "My name is Hope, I am the heir to the armor of Cruelty." Hope said. "What do you mean that you're the heir to the armor of Cruelty? I thought that only Anubis had that armor?" George asked, surprise showing in his voice.
"It is but you see I am, kinda, from an another world, a parallel dimension if you will, in that world after Anubis, my uncle, died and after I turned fifteen the armor came to me. I wore it until I dead, I was brought back to life. And some how when I was brought here I was able to access the armor. I've been using it to fight and defeat the Warlords." Hope said and explained what she didn't explain to the Ronins, who she was, where she was from and what she been doing since she got here.
"But if you are a relative of the Warlords, why are you fighting them?" He asked, disbelief showing in his voice. "Because I have to, I am not related to the ones in this world but even if I was I would fight them. My loyalty is to my cause , to the mortal world." Hope said solemnly. "But if you are loyal to the mortal realm, then why are you here, at this time?" George asked.
"From what I gather I am here to covert the Warlords to the good side, help the Ronins and find the other heirs to the Seasonal armors." George's jaw hit the floor! "Heirs to the Seasonals? Who are they?" He asked. "I'm not sure ...." Hope shot him a side ways look. "What? What is it?" George asked. "Well .... listen ... it a shot in the dark ... George do you have any strange things happen to you, a call drawing you to Tomaya or an ability others do not have."
"I have a small ability to heal others, especially those who are bitten by snakes." George replied though slightly confused on what she was getting at. Hope nodded. "Then you are one of them." "WHAT! YOU'RE NUTS! I'M NO HEIR!" He yelled. "I'm just a exchange student. Nothing more." George snapped, returning to his snakes. Hope put her hand on his shoulder. "George, your connection to snakes and your ability leads me to believe other wise."
"I'm no armor bearer! I just like snakes, that's all." He said but sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Hope. "George try calling for the armor. If you're not a bearer, it won't respond." She suggested. "But if Seckmeht has the armor ..." "He will feel the pull and so will you. It is a risk we will have to take." Hope said. George nodded, reluctantly. " Armor of Venom!" he yelled.
In the Dynasty .... Seckmeht was arguing with Cale when he suddenly kneeled over with pain. "What in the name of the mortal world!?" He exclaimed.
As Seckmeht was bowled over in pain, George found himself in the Venom's
sub armor! George looked like he would have a heart attack as the sub armor left. "Unlike me, you can't bear arms just yet but soon." Hope said softly.
"What... How.. I mean, why am I the heir of the Venom Armor?" he asked, his voice showing disbelief. "Fate." Hope answered. "Why me? Why me? I'm just a simple student?" he yelled. "George calm down!" Hope shouted shaking him by the shoulders.
George finally calmed down. "Ok. If I'm the one to bear one day Venom, then who are the other Warlords heir?" he asked. "I do not know. Will you help in finding them? The Warlords don't yet know of the existence of the heirs, I've kept them distracted with the loud mouth girl who is always fighting them."
George quietly chuckled. "I'll help in any way I can. But if you and I are the first two, then are they all going to be girls or are they all going to be guys?" "I don't know. My suggestion is you find the Ronins, tell the Hope sent you, they will watch after you." George nodded. "OK. Thanks for the tip. Let me finish feeding the snakes, and I'll try and contact them." he answered.
Hope shook her head. "On second thought I will get them, see if you can stay with them." She said. George nodded. "Just don't have them harm the snakes. I'm responsible for them." He said, as Hope slipped out the door.
Hope sighed as she left George, she was glad she found the first of the heirs but she knew she had brought another person into the fighting. *We already have one too many.* She thought as she headed to where she hoped the Ronins would be. She was worried about leaving George alone but some how she knew he would be all right.
George quickly moved back to the zoo, to check on his pets, and his other responsibilities. *And to think that I'm one of a few people who might be able to stop all of this! But first, I need to try and convince MY armor bearer to stop fighting, and stop Talpa. But that is not going to be easy!* He thought to himself.
Chapter 13
Meanwhile ... "You want us to do what?" Ryo asked Hope. "Please, I know it is weird but he is involved in the fighting. And he can be of some help, he can also heal so he can help Sage out there." She said. "Ok so you want us to watch after him. All right Hope but you own us." Ryo said. Hope frowned but nodded. "Thank you Ryo. I will bring him here." She said.
As Hope left, she felt a familiar longing. She once again missed her friend Yuli who was like her little brother. "I look forward to the time when I can see you again." She quietly said, looking to the sky. Hope didn't pay attention to where she was walking or the area around her, a deep feeling of homesickness getting the better of her.
Suddenly, she felt, rather than heard, a familiar Sure Kill coming toward her. "Black Lightning Slash!" Came the cry, as Cale struck out with his energy blast! Hope dropped to the ground and rolled out of danger's way. "Don't you have someone else to chase, you pain in the neck!" She shouted at him.
"Not as long as you dare try to upset Master Talpa's plans for this world!" He snapped, as he prepared another strike at her. "Here we go again." Hope muttered under her breath. "Armor of Cruel ..." But suddenly a chain wrapped around her neck, cutting her off!
"Not this time, little Ronin. This time, Master Talpa WILL have you and your armor. One more step toward uniting the two realms." Anubis said, wrapped the chain tightly around Hope's throat. Hope tried to pull the chain off her but Anubis pulled it tighter, it bit into her open skin now, Hope knew she had to be something, and fast!
As Anubis prepared to choke down Hope, another Sure Kill was sounded: "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" Kento's sure kill upset Anubis and Cale's plan, forcing them to retreat. After the chain released her and Anubis left Hope went to her knees, gasping for air.
"Thank .... Kento .... thanks ..... alot." She said between gasps of air and some coughs. Kento just smirked. "No problem. Just remember that when you get back, you clean up my room! Then we be even." He said, with a smirk on his face.
Hope laughed softly. "Sure thing." She said as she went to get to the place George was. She didn't know her neck was bleeding until she found him and saw the look on his face. "What?" "You got a heck of cut on your neck." George said, as he grabbed his first aid kit. A few minutes later, the cut was bandaged. "OK Hope, what happened?" he said, motioning her to sit down.
"Just had a run in with the Warlords. No biggie." Hope said causally. George just shook his head. "When are you going to watch out for them? Until we can get them away from Talpa, we are still in danger, especially you." He said, as he started pacing. "Me?" Hope asked in surprised. "How am I especially in danger?"
"You are the one who is trying to pull us together. Without you, we would split and be easy pickings for the Warlords. Not to mention you are the only one of the heirs that fight them. Do you understand what I'm saying!" George stated. Hope nodded. "I hear. Now get ready, the Ronins agreed to watch after you. Now I want you to stay with them but don't tell them about the heirs. I don't think they are ready for that." She said.
George shook his head. "How much can we trust them?" he asked. "Enough so that you stay with them and listen to them but not enough as you don't tell them about the heirs or anything like that." George nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. And who knows, maybe we can learn something from each other." He quietly stated. Hope nodded. "Yea, I will take you to them, make sure things are ok." She said her face blank as she helped him though she was careful around the snakes.
"What's the matter Hope? Snakes got your tounge or your brain?" George asked, teasing her. "Huh? Oh no." She said. "I just don't wanna be bitten." She said. George just laughed. "I may not have Seckmeht's full control over them, but I know enough as to which ones are poisonous and which ones aren't." "So do I. I sometimes helped my uncle back ... back home." Hope said softly.
"I take it you still miss all of them." George quietly said, putting his arm around her shoulder. Hope nodded. "Yea, my uncles are probably about to have heart attacks by now, the boys I call my brothers probably searched the city for me a thousand times. Kayura probably tried a thousand spells and Yuli and Mia are probably pretty worried." She said.
"I know. If I can help in any way, let me know. I may not be your family, but I'm a good listener. You have to be, when you work with snakes." He quietly said. Hope nodded. "Yea I know. Come on, you might need to let some of these guys loose or give them enough food for a couple days. I don't think the Ronins will watch after them." George just quietly smiled, and put enough food out on a schedule for at least a week. "That should keep them satisfied. Now, lets get back and meet up with the Ronins. I don't want to keep them waiting TOO long!" he said, trying to lighten up the mood in the room.
Hope laughed some and nodded. She looked around outside carefully to make sure it was clear as they went to where the Ronins was. "OK. Train with them, trust them somewhat, just don't tell them about the armor heirs. Right?" George asked, as they approached the house.
"Right." Hope said and walked inside. "Guys, this George. George these are the Ronin Warriors." She introduced the six young men. George nodded, as he met up with each one.
He came to realize that he and Cye would get along well, and the same might go for Ryo. Rowen, was a mystery. Sage was a enigma waiting to be unfolded. Kento might be a problem. Hope watched as the six young men eyed one another she frowned and stepped protectively beside George.
"What's the big deal with this guy, Hope? You're acting like he's one of us." Said Rowen noticing her stance. *Because he is.* Hope thought but said. "He is a friend to me, a good friend." She said. Cye stepped forward. "Well, as one who appreciates what Hope has done, I welcome you. I hope that you will feel welcome here." he stated. George nodded. "So do I." He said cautiously as he sized the other Ronins up.
"Just so long as he doesn't eat up all the food, we'll get along fine." Muttered Kento. "Right. You look like you could use a diet!" George retorted. "Hey!" Kento said but Ryo put his hand on this shoulder to keep him from going after George.
The next one up was Sage. "So, what were you doing when Hope grabbed you?" He sarcastically asked. "A research project for the university." George responded. "And really he garbed me. Saved me from a 'vicious' viper." Hope grinned at George who grinned back at their inside joke.
"So, you were doing research for the University. I'm hoping to go there after all of this is taken care of." stated Rowen, who was STILL trying to wake up after all that had been going on. George nodded as Hope stepped back. She looked at Ryo and nodded to the door and motioned to herself behind George's back. Ryo nodded some, knowing she was going and he wouldn't stop her as she started to slip away.
"So, Cye, why don't you and I see about rustling up some grub for everyone. It looks like you could use a cook around here." George suggested. Cye nodded as Hope slipped out. "Yea come on." He said.
As Hope left Mia, she was wondering where to find the next of the Seasonal Armor bearers who would take over for the current generation, when she almost stepped on a snake that was moving along the road.
Hope looked at the snake and froze, it was a pit viper. "Oh man, what tricks in Seckmeht up to now?" She asked, backing slowly not making any sudden movement to frighten the snake into biting. "Asher! Where are you Asher! When I get my hands on you, you're going to have NO rodents for a week!" A young male voice called out.
The snake hissed and flicked his tounge as a darkly tanned young man with spiked green hair and dark brown eyes walked over to Hope and the snake. Hope's mind's eye flash back to one of her dreams.
:flashback:
"So which way Hope?" A male voice asked to her side, Hope turned to face a young man she couldn't make out his face but she knew he was a friend.
:end flash back:
The young man looked at Hope then at her sub armor. "Who are you, what are you wearing, and how well does it protect you against snake bites?" He asked, as he carefully carried the pit viper back to its cage.
"Hope, sub armor and I don't know." She said quickly. "My name is George Anderson, and you already met one of my charges." The young man said, looking carefully at the pit viper he was carrying in his arms.
George carefully escorted Hope to his office. "Got to feed my pets. You're welcome to look around: Just don't touch any of the snake equipment." he said. Hope looked at him. "Hey, how did you escape from the Warlords and soldiers?" She asked him. "I just laid low. Taking care of snakes teaches you how to stay calm, and not attract attention." He answered, as he grabbed several mice from a cage.
Hope nodded but looked away as he fed his snakes, even though she spent some time with her uncle she still couldn't bring herself to watch a snake eat. "So you stay here alone?" "I work here, when I wasn't attending school, atlest before the Dynasty attacked. I'm an exchange student from Canada." George said, heading toward the snake cages.
"So I see." Hope said looking around. "So answer me something." He asked suddenly from behind her. "Why are you wearing sub armor. You aren't one of the Warlords." Hope quickly switched to street clothes. "That is a long story, and one I think you might be interested in." Hope quickly responded, forgetting she had been in sub armor, she was so use to it she didn't think about it.
She turned to face George, he was watching her cautiously and with a bit of suspicion. *And I can't blame him.* She thought to herself. "My name is Hope, I am the heir to the armor of Cruelty." Hope said. "What do you mean that you're the heir to the armor of Cruelty? I thought that only Anubis had that armor?" George asked, surprise showing in his voice.
"It is but you see I am, kinda, from an another world, a parallel dimension if you will, in that world after Anubis, my uncle, died and after I turned fifteen the armor came to me. I wore it until I dead, I was brought back to life. And some how when I was brought here I was able to access the armor. I've been using it to fight and defeat the Warlords." Hope said and explained what she didn't explain to the Ronins, who she was, where she was from and what she been doing since she got here.
"But if you are a relative of the Warlords, why are you fighting them?" He asked, disbelief showing in his voice. "Because I have to, I am not related to the ones in this world but even if I was I would fight them. My loyalty is to my cause , to the mortal world." Hope said solemnly. "But if you are loyal to the mortal realm, then why are you here, at this time?" George asked.
"From what I gather I am here to covert the Warlords to the good side, help the Ronins and find the other heirs to the Seasonal armors." George's jaw hit the floor! "Heirs to the Seasonals? Who are they?" He asked. "I'm not sure ...." Hope shot him a side ways look. "What? What is it?" George asked. "Well .... listen ... it a shot in the dark ... George do you have any strange things happen to you, a call drawing you to Tomaya or an ability others do not have."
"I have a small ability to heal others, especially those who are bitten by snakes." George replied though slightly confused on what she was getting at. Hope nodded. "Then you are one of them." "WHAT! YOU'RE NUTS! I'M NO HEIR!" He yelled. "I'm just a exchange student. Nothing more." George snapped, returning to his snakes. Hope put her hand on his shoulder. "George, your connection to snakes and your ability leads me to believe other wise."
"I'm no armor bearer! I just like snakes, that's all." He said but sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Hope. "George try calling for the armor. If you're not a bearer, it won't respond." She suggested. "But if Seckmeht has the armor ..." "He will feel the pull and so will you. It is a risk we will have to take." Hope said. George nodded, reluctantly. " Armor of Venom!" he yelled.
In the Dynasty .... Seckmeht was arguing with Cale when he suddenly kneeled over with pain. "What in the name of the mortal world!?" He exclaimed.
As Seckmeht was bowled over in pain, George found himself in the Venom's
sub armor! George looked like he would have a heart attack as the sub armor left. "Unlike me, you can't bear arms just yet but soon." Hope said softly.
"What... How.. I mean, why am I the heir of the Venom Armor?" he asked, his voice showing disbelief. "Fate." Hope answered. "Why me? Why me? I'm just a simple student?" he yelled. "George calm down!" Hope shouted shaking him by the shoulders.
George finally calmed down. "Ok. If I'm the one to bear one day Venom, then who are the other Warlords heir?" he asked. "I do not know. Will you help in finding them? The Warlords don't yet know of the existence of the heirs, I've kept them distracted with the loud mouth girl who is always fighting them."
George quietly chuckled. "I'll help in any way I can. But if you and I are the first two, then are they all going to be girls or are they all going to be guys?" "I don't know. My suggestion is you find the Ronins, tell the Hope sent you, they will watch after you." George nodded. "OK. Thanks for the tip. Let me finish feeding the snakes, and I'll try and contact them." he answered.
Hope shook her head. "On second thought I will get them, see if you can stay with them." She said. George nodded. "Just don't have them harm the snakes. I'm responsible for them." He said, as Hope slipped out the door.
Hope sighed as she left George, she was glad she found the first of the heirs but she knew she had brought another person into the fighting. *We already have one too many.* She thought as she headed to where she hoped the Ronins would be. She was worried about leaving George alone but some how she knew he would be all right.
George quickly moved back to the zoo, to check on his pets, and his other responsibilities. *And to think that I'm one of a few people who might be able to stop all of this! But first, I need to try and convince MY armor bearer to stop fighting, and stop Talpa. But that is not going to be easy!* He thought to himself.
Chapter 13
Meanwhile ... "You want us to do what?" Ryo asked Hope. "Please, I know it is weird but he is involved in the fighting. And he can be of some help, he can also heal so he can help Sage out there." She said. "Ok so you want us to watch after him. All right Hope but you own us." Ryo said. Hope frowned but nodded. "Thank you Ryo. I will bring him here." She said.
As Hope left, she felt a familiar longing. She once again missed her friend Yuli who was like her little brother. "I look forward to the time when I can see you again." She quietly said, looking to the sky. Hope didn't pay attention to where she was walking or the area around her, a deep feeling of homesickness getting the better of her.
Suddenly, she felt, rather than heard, a familiar Sure Kill coming toward her. "Black Lightning Slash!" Came the cry, as Cale struck out with his energy blast! Hope dropped to the ground and rolled out of danger's way. "Don't you have someone else to chase, you pain in the neck!" She shouted at him.
"Not as long as you dare try to upset Master Talpa's plans for this world!" He snapped, as he prepared another strike at her. "Here we go again." Hope muttered under her breath. "Armor of Cruel ..." But suddenly a chain wrapped around her neck, cutting her off!
"Not this time, little Ronin. This time, Master Talpa WILL have you and your armor. One more step toward uniting the two realms." Anubis said, wrapped the chain tightly around Hope's throat. Hope tried to pull the chain off her but Anubis pulled it tighter, it bit into her open skin now, Hope knew she had to be something, and fast!
As Anubis prepared to choke down Hope, another Sure Kill was sounded: "IRON ROCK CRUSHER!" Kento's sure kill upset Anubis and Cale's plan, forcing them to retreat. After the chain released her and Anubis left Hope went to her knees, gasping for air.
"Thank .... Kento .... thanks ..... alot." She said between gasps of air and some coughs. Kento just smirked. "No problem. Just remember that when you get back, you clean up my room! Then we be even." He said, with a smirk on his face.
Hope laughed softly. "Sure thing." She said as she went to get to the place George was. She didn't know her neck was bleeding until she found him and saw the look on his face. "What?" "You got a heck of cut on your neck." George said, as he grabbed his first aid kit. A few minutes later, the cut was bandaged. "OK Hope, what happened?" he said, motioning her to sit down.
"Just had a run in with the Warlords. No biggie." Hope said causally. George just shook his head. "When are you going to watch out for them? Until we can get them away from Talpa, we are still in danger, especially you." He said, as he started pacing. "Me?" Hope asked in surprised. "How am I especially in danger?"
"You are the one who is trying to pull us together. Without you, we would split and be easy pickings for the Warlords. Not to mention you are the only one of the heirs that fight them. Do you understand what I'm saying!" George stated. Hope nodded. "I hear. Now get ready, the Ronins agreed to watch after you. Now I want you to stay with them but don't tell them about the heirs. I don't think they are ready for that." She said.
George shook his head. "How much can we trust them?" he asked. "Enough so that you stay with them and listen to them but not enough as you don't tell them about the heirs or anything like that." George nodded. "I'll keep that in mind. And who knows, maybe we can learn something from each other." He quietly stated. Hope nodded. "Yea, I will take you to them, make sure things are ok." She said her face blank as she helped him though she was careful around the snakes.
"What's the matter Hope? Snakes got your tounge or your brain?" George asked, teasing her. "Huh? Oh no." She said. "I just don't wanna be bitten." She said. George just laughed. "I may not have Seckmeht's full control over them, but I know enough as to which ones are poisonous and which ones aren't." "So do I. I sometimes helped my uncle back ... back home." Hope said softly.
"I take it you still miss all of them." George quietly said, putting his arm around her shoulder. Hope nodded. "Yea, my uncles are probably about to have heart attacks by now, the boys I call my brothers probably searched the city for me a thousand times. Kayura probably tried a thousand spells and Yuli and Mia are probably pretty worried." She said.
"I know. If I can help in any way, let me know. I may not be your family, but I'm a good listener. You have to be, when you work with snakes." He quietly said. Hope nodded. "Yea I know. Come on, you might need to let some of these guys loose or give them enough food for a couple days. I don't think the Ronins will watch after them." George just quietly smiled, and put enough food out on a schedule for at least a week. "That should keep them satisfied. Now, lets get back and meet up with the Ronins. I don't want to keep them waiting TOO long!" he said, trying to lighten up the mood in the room.
Hope laughed some and nodded. She looked around outside carefully to make sure it was clear as they went to where the Ronins was. "OK. Train with them, trust them somewhat, just don't tell them about the armor heirs. Right?" George asked, as they approached the house.
"Right." Hope said and walked inside. "Guys, this George. George these are the Ronin Warriors." She introduced the six young men. George nodded, as he met up with each one.
He came to realize that he and Cye would get along well, and the same might go for Ryo. Rowen, was a mystery. Sage was a enigma waiting to be unfolded. Kento might be a problem. Hope watched as the six young men eyed one another she frowned and stepped protectively beside George.
"What's the big deal with this guy, Hope? You're acting like he's one of us." Said Rowen noticing her stance. *Because he is.* Hope thought but said. "He is a friend to me, a good friend." She said. Cye stepped forward. "Well, as one who appreciates what Hope has done, I welcome you. I hope that you will feel welcome here." he stated. George nodded. "So do I." He said cautiously as he sized the other Ronins up.
"Just so long as he doesn't eat up all the food, we'll get along fine." Muttered Kento. "Right. You look like you could use a diet!" George retorted. "Hey!" Kento said but Ryo put his hand on this shoulder to keep him from going after George.
The next one up was Sage. "So, what were you doing when Hope grabbed you?" He sarcastically asked. "A research project for the university." George responded. "And really he garbed me. Saved me from a 'vicious' viper." Hope grinned at George who grinned back at their inside joke.
"So, you were doing research for the University. I'm hoping to go there after all of this is taken care of." stated Rowen, who was STILL trying to wake up after all that had been going on. George nodded as Hope stepped back. She looked at Ryo and nodded to the door and motioned to herself behind George's back. Ryo nodded some, knowing she was going and he wouldn't stop her as she started to slip away.
"So, Cye, why don't you and I see about rustling up some grub for everyone. It looks like you could use a cook around here." George suggested. Cye nodded as Hope slipped out. "Yea come on." He said.