Consequences of Capture

By Dixxy

Chapter Twelve: Ray of Hope

Time, as it has done for all eternity, continued to march on. Months passed for the captive Ronins, and it was already after Kento's sixteenth birthday. Winter was fast approaching, and even the Dynasty was beginning to get colder- for a realm of evil and darkness, one would think it would be a scorching hell or an icy wasteland. On the contrary, its climate wasn't much different from that of the Mortal Realm aside from a significant difference in the amount of life. Because of this, a winter season meant colder weather and all the trimmings to go with it. Thick gray slush fell from the sky instead of soft tufts of snow, and some of the few animals that remained in the Nether Realm went into hibernation. In Trulpa's stronghold, more and more warmer meals could be smelled in the hallways and spiced teas became choice drinks. Training halls in the castle were being used more and more often due to the undesirable conditions outside. Fires were made to be larger and warmer, making everyone feel more comfortable.

Sage, Kento, and Cye had been given a "day-off" of sorts from their training with magic. After they'd managed to calm down from the streak of horrible events, Trulpa had begun to demand much more of them with threats of dire consequences. The good news was she only used these consequences when they hadn't met her expectations. The bad news was they were finding it harder and harder to do so, and the "day-off" was all but a God-sent blessing.

Of course at that point the day off was almost a necessity. Trulpa knew that even if they were Ronins, she'd cut them off from their armors AND they were mere mortal boys. They had their limits, and if she pushed them too far over these limits then they'd be of no use to her. That, in fact, was partially why they had such nice living accommodations- putting them in dark, grey cells wouldn't keep them well-rested and in peak condition to practice magic.

The three were lounging around the main sitting room of their tiny apartment in sweaters and thick pants that somewhat resembled jeans, all sipping hot chocolate Cye had made. Sage was sitting sideways on a chair, balancing a saucer of cookies on his stomach. Kento was belly-down on the floor, his feet in the air and crossed at the ankles. Cye was stretched out on a sofa of sorts, half-asleep and ready to nod off.

Trulpa had given them the warmer clothing because the thin material of the normal Dynasty robes they were accustomed to was simply not enough, and she didn't want them to catch colds and have difficulty practicing with their magic. The materials were comfortable and made the cold climate that much more bearable.

"This is nice," Cye said, a smile on his face. "Nothing to do but relax."

"Trulpa's probably just giving us a break so we can regain some energy," Sage said dryly, tossing back his head. He ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Face it, boys- our noses are going straight back to that damned grindstone starting tomorrow. And of course Trulpa's gonna be happy as a clam about it, too."

"Well, if she really wanted to rest us she'd give us at least two days off," said Kento. "And, in all honesty, I can kinda see another one tomorrow, and possibly Christmas, if we're REAL lucky, but that one's kinda fuzzy." The newly re-awakened seer had been practicing with his newly rediscovered skills, and was now at the point where he could make guesses at to what would happen over a period of a week, sometimes two. Still, he could only pinpoint minor events, something that was slightly discouraging. If he could only see something big. . .

"Maybe, but one way or another. . . she's going to go back to working us like dogs," Cye quipped. "We might as well enjoy this while it lasts, so don't dwell on what's going to happen." He leaned back. "Have you two heard anything about what's going on with the girls?"

"Not a thing- even Trulpa's having trouble looking in on any training sessions they've been having, assuming they've been having them," Sage said. "The only thing I know is that they've apparently been hanging out since this summer, probably starting sometime during out battle with Talpa."

"She can't get through?" Kento asked, bewildered.

"Something's jamming her signals, I guess," said Sage. Placing the cookies down on a nearby end table, Sage sat up and moved to a more "correct" position. "She doesn't get it either! It isn't making any sense. The Ancient One may have some powers beyond the grave, but not nearly enough to interfere with Trulpa's spying. She's got Kayura and the Warlords, and Anubis is dead, so it can't be any of them. Question is, who is it?"

Cye bit his bottom lip. "You don't think its Ryo and Rowen, do you?"

"Highly doubtful. The Strata and Wildfire barriers are still intact, and I don't think they'd have that kind of power anyways. The Jewel of Life MIGHT be able to do something, but I doubt anyone we know outside of Anubis or the Ancient would've known how to work it," said Sage.

"The Senshi themselves?" Kento asked.

"Well, they're supposed to be spell-casters and it's not entirely impossible that there is a spell out there than they could pull-off, but last time I saw them they couldn't have possibly had enough power, even if they combined their strengths, to put up a wall like that," said Cye. "So then what the bloody devil is going on?"

"Could something bad have happened to them?" Sage asked. His expression darkened. "I mean, Trulpa's the big cheese and all, but there's gotta be other lords around here, like Sarenbo or Saberstryke. Could someone like one of them have intervened and done something?"

"I HIGHLY doubt that," said Kento. "SOMEONE would've found out if someone else was poking around the Mortal Realm- Trulpa's probably got spies in the homes of potential threats or challenges. If anyone even mentioned the Senshi they'd probably be fried. Sure, Sarenbo and the others weren't push-overs, but I don't think Trulpa would have a problem kicking their asses if she felt like it was necessary."

"So I guess we'll just have to wait and find out what's going on," said Sage.

"We'll probably find out when she finds out. My guess is that they're on our side, and depending on what it is, Trulpa will NOT be happy, and she'll probably be ranting and screaming about it. More than likely she's going to take it out on one of us or all of us, but since she won't kill us, we'll live to tell about it," said Kento.

Sage snorted. "Yeah."

Cye stood up. "I'm going to head to the library and see if I can find anything- Trulpa might have something on different blocks like this, and if we're lucky she hasn't hoarded them all in her attempt to figure this bloody thing out," he said. He laughed. "The library's so huge that she probably wouldn't be able to find them all!"

"I've got a few books in my room," said Sage, offering his own assistance. "I'll look through those, then I'll head to the library to help you out. Kento, see if you can find something using your powers- if you see something unusual, tell us right away! Teleport to the library, because Cye's going to be there the whole time, and I might be there by them. Okay?"

The three shook on it and went their separate ways.

~

Sage groaned at the pile of books sitting on his desk. So far, he hadn't found anything he didn't already know. The books at his fingertips only said the Ancient had that kind of power. What frustrated Sage, however, was that none of the books said whether or not the Ancient was the ONLY one capable of that.

Not feeling too optimistic, Sage picked up the next volume. It was a ratty old volume with yellowed pages falling out and white velvety cover well-worn and soft. "The History of the Flitteree," he read. Sage raised an eyebrow. "What's that?" Curious, the Warrior of Light began to read.

"Thousands and thousands of years ago, the Nether Realm was a world filled with peace and harmony. It was considered to be a sacred place where only the most divine of species were allowed to dwell. No evil could set foot apon the land of this world and survive- the world would simply not allow this to happen.

"The Nether Realm was ruled by two humanoid species, the Flitteree and the Amazons. The two lived side by side in a mutual relationship. The Flitteree, who were characterized by their wings, would be able to reach heights the Amazons could not reach and used wild magic to complete tasks ranging from entertainment to healing wounds- illness, at the time, was foreign to this world. The Amazons, who were tall in stature and fair in complexion, in turn, had incredible strength and their own breed of wild magic that gave them incredible survival skills, including the unique ability to make it appear as if they had 'died' by stopping their heartbeat and breathing patterns. This peace was ensured by the marriage between a Flitteree and an Amazon every year. Sadly, this union rarely produced children, but those children born from these marriages were said to be the happiest people alive.

"One thousand years before the arrival of the Twin Emperors- Emperor Talpa and Empress Trulpa- a dark force settled in the world. It was a round, golden orbe that shined with power. The Amazons were the first to discover the artifact and brought it back to the Amazon capital, but this was a grave mistake. The light from the orbe shone brightly in the city, poisoning the souls of the city's inhabitants. Terrified, those souls who had not been affected fled to another world in a panic as their kin began to change.

"Tragically, the Flitteree did not realize anything was wrong until the annual wedding, when the first blood was intentionally shed on the ground of the Nether Realm. The Amazon groom and Flitteree bride had just finished saying their vows when the groom drew a sword- something that had never been needed in the realm before- and decapitated his young wife. It was the blood of the young woman that sent the rest of the Amazons on a blood-lust, attacking the other Flitteree in attendance. A civil war had broken out.

"From this point on, the Nether Realm was forever tainted. Sickness and disease emerged for the first time and epidemics swept across both populations. Murder, something that had been unheard of in the realm, became a daily occurrence. The Amazons trained themselves to use their brute strength against the Flitteree to win the forced battles. Desperate, the Flitteree learned to use their magic as a defense.

"The final taint, however, was the arrival of the Twin Emperors and a wave of demons and evil that destroyed the realm. With the help of these demons and their leaders, the Amazons won the war, forcing the Flitteree into exile, where they still hide today. Only one colony remains, but no Dynasty researcher has been able to find it as of this printing."

Sage placed the book down. From the sounds of it, the Flitteree didn't like Talpa and Trulpa, or these Amazon creatures. The book also said that these people could use magic, which made Sage wonder if they had the power to put up the block Trulpa was currently dealing with. Then are the Senshi getting help from a Flitteree? Sage wondered. Deciding he liked his discovery, Sage took the book with him as he teleported to the library.

~

"Stupid piece of junk!" Kento yelled, glaring at the round crystal orbe sitting on the pillow before him. This was his crystal ball, something that he had made out of curiosity using his powers over rocks and dirt. Part of his Hardrock powers gave him the ability to manipulate raw materials, including some metals, to create magical items. He, he could create nothing nearly as powerful as, say, the Staff of the Ancient or even his own armor, but useful trinkets that could have magic embedded into them. Kento had made the crystal ball one day as an aide to his powers. Three hours of hard work and one mother of a migraine later, the ball worked with his powers and made them much less erratic and much more controlled.

But that particular day he was coming up with nothing.

"What good are these damn powers if I can't use 'em?" Kento snapped bitterly. He clenched his eyes shut, gritted his teeth, and made a tight fist. He punched the pad beneath him, trying to ventilate his anger safely. As useful as his powers were, they weren't doing him much good at the time.

Kento sighed to himself and he stood and placed his hand on his forehead. In a way, he actually liked having his "abilities" back, even if they did creep him out as a kid. He felt more comfortable with himself, like he'd just gotten back something very precious to him that had been lost for a long time. Kento snorted at the thought- his powers had petrified him when he was little and now he was happy to have them back? He shook his head. "I must be going crazy."

As the last word escaped his lips, he suddenly felt very strange and lightheaded. The room began to swirl around him, causing Kento to stumble backwards onto his bed, where he laid staring at the ceiling. Hardrock's eyes widened as the sensation continued and thousands of colors bean to flash in his eyes. "Wha. . . what's going on!?" he demanded.

FLASH!

Kento could see a figure walking towards him. The figure was a tall, stocky man who looked like the result of some sick and twisted Frankenstein copycat. His skin was three different tones, all put together in patches of color. His hair was a greasy, slimey mixture of blonde, blue-grey, and auburn with sharp eyes of violent, blue, and sea green staring at him menacingly. The figure wore a tight black body suit and silver belt buckled with a symbol Kento recognized as a skull pattern Trulpa favored. In his hand was a sword. . . a sword he DIDN'T ever want to see again.

Daala's sword.

All around him, Kento could hear the sound of Trulpa's cackling laughter as the monster proceeded, his aura consisting of dark, dreary feelings and a malicious intent. This creature, whatever it was, was created to destroy, kill, and devastate the enemy. It would take no prisoners and not let anyone get away with their life if it crossed paths with them.

This was a monster of perfection.

FLASH!

Kento gasped to find that the room had stopped moving, he no longer felt light headed, and if it weren't for the fact it was ingrained in his head he would've sworn nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Startled, confused, and completely frightened out of his last wits, Kento quickly teleported himself to the library to find Sage and Cye.

Whatever that THING was, it didn't look friendly.

But why did it feel so familiar?

~

Cye leafed through the book with little interest, growing weary and tired from a solid two hours of study time. He'd been unable to find anything on the topic at hand and he was growing very bored with the library. He yawned, closing the book and resting his head on the table. "Bloody hell, why does this have to be so hard?" he muttered to himself. "Can't we just find the damn information and get on with it?"

"WHAT!?"

Cye was jolted to full alertness at the sound of the scream. The shriek had ripped through the library like greased lightning and startled some birds outside the window. Cye stared out the window as the crows flew away in a tizzy, then got to his feet to investigate the scream. Not wanting to miss a single word, Cye hurried towards the sound of the scream.

The "scream" belonged to Trulpa, and from the sounds of it she'd just learned some bad news (well. . . bad news for her, at least). It was possible she'd found out what was blocking her, which would give Cye and his friends a heads-up as to what was going on. Information was something they desperately needed, and every little bit helped out.

Trulpa was near a large double-door entry to the library, where she was ready to rip a new door for Anubra. The Warlady was standing tall and cold, apparently unmoved by her mistress' sudden outburst of screaming. The woman cleared her throat, and held up the parchment she'd been holding to repeat what she said. "I don't understand this anymore than you do, Trulpa, as I just explained."

"But WHY HIM!? ANYBODY BUT HIM!" Trulpa wailed.

"I realize this is very serious, my Empress! We don't know what he's teaching the little Ronin Senshi brats but whatever it is could be very valuable! That's why we can't get through and you know it!" Anubra said. "That man is very intelligent and knows EXACTLY how you like to operate, so he's doing everything in his power to make sure that doesn't happen."

"Well, you'd better just make sure that the traitorous scum doesn't find out we have his precious little Ronin Warriors here," said Trulpa. She turned her nose up. "I could use them to my advantage, and I do have one in mind if I were to use that kind of a strategy."

Who is she talking about? And. . . which of us would she use? Cye wondered. He was hiding behind a bookshelf within earshot of the two Dynasty women. Evidently the person assisting the Senshi was very bad news for Trulpa. Hopefully this was good news for the three of them.

"Why the hell would he give a damn about any one in particular?" asked Anubra. "I wasn't involved, but I do know this: Anubis never got the chance to get to know Sage, Cye, OR Kento after he left Talpa's services. If we had the other two, the woman, or the little boy then we might've had something but to him the three we have probably don't mean that much."

Cye nearly choked on a breath. ANUBIS!?

Trulpa seemed to calm down some and she gave Anubra a light chuckle. "Oh Anubra, I'm afraid I can't tell you that. I'm going to keep this tidbit to myself for a little while- I can't risk this information leaking at the wrong time. Though I trust all of you, this is one mistake I can't afford any of you to make. Now that Anubis is alive and well again, at any rate."

This isn't making any sense. . . how can Anubis be alive? This was something that puzzled Cye quite a bit. Shortly after the war against Talpa, Kayura had returned long enough to ask the Ronin Warriors, Mia, and Yuli if they would like to attend Anubis' burial. When they arrived in the Nether Realm a few hours later, they all saw his lifeless body. Cye remembered feeling sick to his stomach as he watched the body, covered by a white cloth, as it was lowered into the ground. Something about the burial made him very upset, but he couldn't understand what it was- he'd hardly known Anubis and half of the time he'd known the man they'd been enemies. Somehow, he felt like a part of him was in that grave with the Warlord.

At first he thought it was the armors affecting him. After all, Anubis had been a bearer of one of the nine armors, but no one else- not even the other Warlords or even Lady Kayura!- seemed to be affected in that way. Mia was a complete basket case, but Yuli had voiced a suspicion that she had some very strong feelings for Anubis. Maybe it was just how soft Cye was. Out of all the other Ronins he had been the most gentle and innocent prior to gaining his armor, so perhaps it was his lack of experience with the darker aspects of life.

But why does it feel like more?

"What kind of mistake, Trulpa?" asked Anubra.

"A HORRIBLE mistake," she said. "Let's leave it as that." Trulpa smirked. "I don't know WHY he's alive and well, but now that we know what's been disrupting my methods, we can begin to break down his shields so we can plan our assault on the Senshi. Nice try, traitor, but you'll have to settle for the door prize this time around." With that, the two women teleported out of the room.

The sound of someone appearing in the room twice over told Cye that his friends had arrived. He looked at the two with a happy, yet melancholy look on his face. That soon turned to confusion when he saw the mixed expressions on his friend's faces. Kento looked flustered and anxious while Sage was clutching a book with a death grip and a wild grin on his face.

"Daala's sword. . . oh God it had Daala's sword. . ."

"We have friends in this realm! We have allies!"

"Geez, I've never seen a monster like that. . ."

"They're in hiding somewhere but we can find them and-"

"I know who's been blocking Trulpa!!!"

Sage and Kento stopped their chattering as Cye made his announcement. Sage cleared his throat. "I. . . supposed we should take turns discussing this issue, should we not?" Kento and Cye exchanged looks, nodded at each other, and then nodded at Sage. "Excellent. Rendezvous in the room in ten seconds."

And off they went.

~

It was late (or rather. . . early. . .) when I wrote the last few paragraphs, so Dixxy was half-way to la-la land.

I edited chapter seven to reflect Sam's new attitude (during Cye's brief musing about the Senshi). For those who haven't been reading RSL, Sam's character has become a horse of a completely different color. As it is the suicide chapter already had some edits in it, and now seven as some small ones as well.

Yes, Kento saw Kaze. However, I'm choosing what Kento sees very carefully. Everything he's seen he can't stop because he doesn't know enough about them. He has no clue what the hell Kaze is (and like he'd be able to prevent his creation even if he knew?) and the blue demon that chased him has a human guise that he doesn't know about as well. I need to map out exactly what Kento (and Keisha for that matter) are capable of, because they each have some shared powers, but also some very different powers. They both have some basic powers (sensing what other people are thinking, minor sensing as to what is to come), but each of them has an area they're much stronger in. Problem is, I feel like Kento needs a little more to his powers than what he has. While seeing what the enemy is gonna do is pretty cool, smashing them into a wall without lifting a finger is A LOT cooler.

Anyone recall me thinking about doing an AU of this series without Senshi armors? Well, I think I'm gonna do it. It'll be called "The Age of Myths" instead and will have some similar plot lines, but A LOT is going to get changed. Good guys are now bad guys, maybe some bad guys are good guys, and relationships change drastically. Characters like the Senshi, Sue Lee, and others will still be involved but their roles will change and the Senshi won't have armors. Keep an eye out for that.

Also, once I get Dragonia and maybe another story focusing on Ria and Rona done, I have the story you've all been waiting for on the drawing table.

Finally, as I mentioned in my response to Ileana Dubaer's review, there are some major plot chances on the way.

Harry: Well. . . you should've known that already. How long have you been reading my stories ^_~? Harry, there's no challenge in pushing your buttons. Ever. And I'll keep that in mind. Don't worry- there should be plenty of stuff with the Senshi coming.

Jess: Well, Ryo and Rowen don't really come into play in the story. This is part of a very large series I'm writing called The Age of Legends, in which one of the basic plot lines is that the boys get separated into two smaller groups for a long period of time. The other deals with the actual title of the series, since each Ronin has an "extra" power of some sort. Kento being able to see into the future (as well as the past) is his "role" in the Age of Legends. Ryo and Rowen get the spotlight in the story Dragonia, which I want to make long to make-up for their lack of screen time thus far, possibly even go far as to make it a few books long. I'm also thinking about doing an AU version of this series in which only the original nine armors exist- the Senshi would still show up, but their roles would be changed, reversed, ect. and none of them would be Ronins. Powers? Maybe.

Marlene: Ha, mine's in July. But isn't being mean to characters the whole foundation of writing? As always, thanks!

Firestorm: Too many people portray him as a stubborn pig head. I don't. Mmm, Cye needed a not-crippled moment. Don't worry, Kento does. Yeah, that'll have to happen. For sure.

Dragon's Venom: Thanks!

Sakura123: Who said Kento was calm? The first paragraph is confusing, though I can kinda see where it came from. Kento wasn't mocking her- he was upset and thought she was winning. Ryo and Rowen are back in Japan. Trulpa hasn't done a thing to them. Except made them upset by taking the other three. Wow. . . that's a lot of Xena. Hmm, twasn't the effect I wanted to have, but that works. Sorry. Do not worry- you will not get eaten by little demon thingies. They shouldn't exist, and if they do then hopefully they'll eat Osama bin Laden or Saddam.

Crystal Cat-Chan: I know! Mmm, my contract says nothing about therapy bills, and if they do try anything I'll hire Johnny Cochran. Thus far, I have no plans to kill off any of the Ronin Warriors, BUT that doesn't mean it can't happen. I said "thus far". I'm a ways away of finishing this series and maybe I'll find a place where a character death is appropriate. It depends on how the series goes. Yeah, the egg thing was funny- something had to break the tension. Sheila, even though she is horrible, kicks ass as a character. As a character, not as a person. Ooo, you got a Grams in your family? I don't really have "issues" with Ryo and Rowen- I just have trouble writing them and coming up with ideas for them. Luckily most of my "new" ideas for this series involve them heavily, but I can't get past the first phases of Dragonia. Don't worry about it- you're a loyal reviewer and I don't care if ya miss a chapter or two. And remember, you have a LIFE. I hope. But certainly you must have other concerns.

Kaci: Thanks! I will!

Bunch-O-Nuts: Well, the thing about this story is that a lot of the plot revelations have already been revealed depending on what you have or have not read already. A lot of my readers stepped into this knowing a lot of (but not most of) what was going to happen. Technically, this is a 2.0 version of the story, and it's the first in a monstrous series I'm writing called The Age of Legends. As far as Ryo and Rowen go, they're kinda left out for now, but once I get Dragonia rolling they'll get bigger parts. Kento's powers do develop, but I'm still working out the pace of it. And here's the next chappy!

Ileana Dubaer: Just as some useless trivia, I had to copy-and-paste your name into the document because I knew there was no way in HELL I was gonna spell that ~.^ Mmm, you're right- the whole "Child of Destiny" thing does have a lot of potential. Currently, I'm tweaking with the plots surrounding Dragonia, Sam's family (yes, you heard me- there's more to that situation than meets the eyes even if you HAVE read The Last Amazons) as well as a major plot change in RSL that WILL require some major plot revisions. Some of you may hate me but quite frankly I find it kinda necessary, and after it happens I promise I will explain myself. Ooo, Sage and Kento? Well, it's entirely likely that even if they don't flat-out find out what Cye is until later, it's very likely Kento gets some hints. Recall that he's a seer, so he may see visions or have dreams here and there about it, some of which he could voice to Anubis assuming he still meets up with him and the Senshi before the other two.

Rao of Fire and Ice: Yup!

~Dixxy