~*~*~*DOUBLE VISION~*~*~*

by: Midnight*Starfire

Disclaimer: *Sighs* Nothing has changed since my last chapter. I still do not own anything about the Ronin Warriors. I still own Fiera and Daemonicus.

A/N: First this story was on hiatus, then it was discontinued. Now I have decided against discontinuing anything and I shall finish it. There is only a few chapters left, and I want to finish this soon. Sorry if it seems rushed, but I'm tired of this story! I did not put as much work into this as I used to, so maybe this will go through revision later on. Right now I have turned my attention to a different category of fanfiction.

Thank you very much to MorganRay and Illusions1, both of them urged me to continue.



Chapter Six: Deception

Hurrying through the crowded greenery of the forest, a red hair man failed to pay attention to where he was headed. Crashing into some sort of object caught his attention, but it was much too late for any sort of effort. He fell to the ground, holding out the Ancient's staff as he did so, intent on attacking whatever evil might have knocked him off his feet. Looking up, revealed a man, blue hair by the looks of it. Someone from his past. It was the man, presumably rather young, perhaps his late teens that spoke first.

"HOLY SHIT!" he screamed in a strong Brooklyn accent, "AN APPARITION!" (Leave it to Rowen to sound intelligent even when he's startled)

Silence blanketed them both and rendered them speechless.

The blue hair man moved closer into the light so Anubis might see his face, yet he already knew it was the bearer of Strata. Midnight blue eyes locked onto his and Rowen began to mumble absurd things to calm himself.

"Spirits don't exist, there is a reasonable explanation for everything. A scientific one at that. I must be hallucinating," he said.

Anubis smiled at his disbelief, "Help me up Strata. You knocked me down," he said, extending his hand.

Rowen stood there for a moment, utterly dumbfounded. Finally, he extended his hand downward to Anubis, who graciously took it. Anubis stood to his full height and examined Strata. It had been, indeed, a long time since he seen any of the Ronin Warriors.

"Kayura," Rowen began , "She told me that you're alive. She's right isn't she?"

"What do you think? That I am not among the world of the living?" replied Anubis.

Rowen simply stared at him.

"I apologize, Strata. I was not present for the final battle to lend you my aid. Although, none of you needed it. Still, I would have liked to help defeat Talpa. But it seems as if though I have that chance now," Anubis said.

"What do you mean by have that chance now?" asked Rowen.

"You were always the most intelligent of the Ronin Warriors, surely you must know what I'm insinuating," said Anubis.

"Talpa's been resurrected, hasn't he?" questioned Rowen.

"He has, Strata. He has a new ally, however this ally is not more powerful than he is. And you can bet that he will turn on his ally," responded Anubis.

How right Anubis was.

~*~*~*

Fiera had locked herself in her room and was trying not to cry. For this morning she had gone to check on Master Daemonicus to see if he was feeling better and found him dead. His face was paler than normal and he did not move. It plainly looked like he slept, but while trying to disturb him, Fiera found otherwise. When he did not move, she checked his pulse. Not finding a pulse, she hurried to her potion cabinet, frantically searching for anything to revive him. To her immense disappointment there was nothing she could do. She was lost without her mentor, she could not do this alone. Hurrying to Talpa's throne room to inform him that his main power source was dead, she overheard something. Something that struck vengeance into her heart.

"Is it done then?" drawled a powerful booming voice.

"I administered the poison to his food, I have yet to check to see if he has died," replied a snakelike voice.

"And the lady vampire?" asked the booming voice.

"What would you like me to do with her?" asked a third voice, deeper than the snakelike one.

"Kill her!" exclaimed the booming voice.

Gathering everything she needed, Fiera's plan was simple. She was to flee the castle, but first she would have her revenge. Talpa's two prisoners were to be released by her hand, she would free them and join their side. How wrong reviving Talpa in the first place seemed. How foolish, naive, and utterly thoughtless. Grabbing all her necessary provisions, she hurried to the dungeons. How feebleminded Talpa was to think that Fiera would not find out that he had killed her mentor, her only friend and protector. How foolish he was to believe he would kill her too and that she would not have her revenge.

The vampire witch ran along the dark , damp hallway. As she ran she tried not to breathe in the rank, musty smell. The blue flames were the only thing that lit her way as she ran, and she couldn't help but wonder why it seemed as if this hallway was longer than before. Finally she found the door to the basement dungeon prisons. Throwing up the door, she sprinted down the stairs. She stumbled forward to Cye and Kayura's cells. Retrieving the keys from inside her robe she began to unlock them, which was quite a task due to the fact that her hands were shaking like leaves.

"Come with me!" she roared.

Cye and Kayura readied themselves for battle and exchanged confused glances. When neither budged the vampire witch repeated her command.

"Why the bloody hell should we listen to you? You're part of the reason we're here in the first place, aren't you?" demanded Cye.

Kayura's anger overpowered her control, she bounded forward and punched Fiera in the face. The sharp left hook to the jaw snapped the vampire's head back. But when she turned to face Kayura and Cye once more she barred sharp pointed incisors and let out a low hiss.

"I advise you not to do that again, or you will pay the price. I do not think you want to share my fate," Fiera hissed.

"You son of -" Kayura yelled, but Cye threw his arms around her and pulled her back.

"Calm down, Kayura we should first listen to what she has to say!" Cye exclaimed.

Kayura's eyes flashed dangerously but she dropped her guard. "What do you want?" she asked Fiera.

"Talpa, the one I resurrected, has betrayed me. He has killed my Master and now he is to kill me. To pay for what he has done , I offer you freedom. I shall even help you escape the castle. I must avenge Daemonicus's death," replied Fiera.

"Why should we trust you?" questioned Cye.

"I am your only hope if you would like to live. Stay here and you will the next to be slaughtered. Have it your way, I can leave you here to die. It matters not," said Fiera.

Cye took a deep breathe and closed his eyes momentarily, "Kayura, I do not know what to believe right now. But I have a feeling that she is telling the truth," Cye said.

"How do you know that?" asked Kayura.

"I don't," responded Cye.

"Exactly!" retorted Kayura.

"But my virtue is trust, and I often know these things. I may very well be wrong, but call it an instinct. We have to get back to warn the others of the imposter pretending to be me," said Cye.

"What he speaks is indeed true. They sent the one they call Dais to portray Cye. Dais is after your armor," offered Fiera, trying to gain their trust.

Cye and Kayura looked at each other and nodded, silently agreeing to go with Fiera. They followed her out of their cells, up the stairs and out of the dungeon.

Awhile later.....

"Are you certain you know which way you're going?" Cye asked.

"It's just up ahead, there is a tunnel that leads out of the castle. However, I'm going to have to cast a spell on you to make you invisible. The exit of the castle is near Talpa's throne room," said Fiera.

"It figures," muttered Kayura.

Fiera mumbled an indecipherable word and looked around as if she could no longer see them. "It worked!" she announced. "There is a limit on this spell, you can only be invisible for so long, so we must hurry! It's right this way follow me!"

Fiera led them down endless dark corridors, which all looked the same. The walls were made of stone and brick and blue flame torches resided on them. The floors were of a cracked black marble. The whole castle, while relatively new, looked old and decrepit. Down the maze of corridors the three ran, Cye behind Fiera and Kayura behind Cye.

Fiera stopped abruptly causing Cye to slam into her and Kayura to crash into him. "Sorry," Fiera apologized. Kayura only snickered.

"But we must be very stealthy passing those doors," she told them as she pointed.

In front of them, slightly off to the left were a set of gigantic jade colored marble double doors. The handles looked like gargoyles and were gold. On each side a demonic gargoyle was placed, each wielding a gigantic sword twice it's size.

"There is a spell on the gargoyle, if they suspect there's an intruder they come to life and attack," Fiera whispered.

Cye felt his heart palpitate faster. Kayura looked from one gargoyle to another.

"We must be quiet," said Fiera. "I will not trigger them, but the two of you could."

Kayura figured that they had made it through the labyrinth known as Talpa's new castle, that they could make it past these doors too.

"Try to step when I step, so the gargoyles do not hear more than one set of footsteps," said Fiera.

Cye and Kayura followed close behind her, stepping in rhythm with Fiera's steps. Halfway past them, Cye let out a sneeze that he could no longer hold. Kayura turned to look at Cye with fear in her eyes all the while continuing to step when Fiera did. Fiera feigned another sneeze, pretending she also sneezed the first time. The gargoyle on the right side of the door turned its head to glare at her. Fiera simply kept walking, and nothing happened. Once they turned the corner they began to run.

"We're almost out," Fiera declared, "Just a few more tasks and we'll be safe.

She led them into a room where they had to jump across stone set upon lava. The heat was sweltering and creatures watched them from the lava.

"Step where I've stepped previously, not all of these stepping stones are real. I know which ones truly exist, so step where I step," Fiera told them.

Cye and Kayura listened to her and stepped where she stepped. Kayura almost lost her balance for a second but she caught herself.

Next came a room made of all ice. It was snowing and the ground was of solid ice, and it was freezing. "Run as fast as you can, and climb these walls," said Fiera pointing to the large walls with ropes hanging down. "We only have so long to get out of here," Fiera yelled.

Climbing was never a thing Kayura excelled at but thinking that she might freeze to death and never see Rowen again got her motivated. As they climbed Cye thought of all they had to do just to leave the castle. Escape the dungeons, race through a maze, sneak past gargoyles, jump from rock to rock over lava, and now climb high walls with tiny ropes in snow over a short period of time.

"Almost done," called Fiera from the top of the wall as she helped Cye up and the two of them reached for Kayura. "We only have one room left, let's hurry."

Cye didn't even want to contemplate what could possibly be in the next room.

Kayura stepped upon a piece of ice that broke beneath her, luckily Cye had a hold of her hands otherwise she would have fallen to her death. Cye held on and Kayura began to slip. Pretty soon Cye was only holding her by one hand.

"Fiera!" Cye yelled, "Come back! I'm losing my grip! HELP!"

Fiera came charging back as she had wandered a bit ahead, thinking they were at her heels. Fiera leaned over the edge and told Kayura to try to swing her right hand upwards. Kayura did so and Fiera caught her right hand. Together, she and Cye walked backwards pulling Kayura up the cliff.

Kayura smiled, "You saved my life, Fiera. Thank you! I'm sorry I didn't believe you," she said.

Fiera smiled back and then noticed when she smiled she didn't look so malignant. "Don't worry about it! Let's get out of here," said Fiera.

Cye smiled at her briefly and she smiled back and then the three of them hurried out of the ice room.

Fiera pulled open a glass door and led them into another room. "It's a good thing the invisibility spell was already worn off, otherwise I would have not been able to see you," said Fiera to Kayura.

"No doubt," said Kayura.

"Okay so what's with this room?" Cye asked.

"The floor collapses once you are fully in the room," said Fiera, "Get ready to run your heart out."

Once they reached the wooden floor boards in the middle of the room they began to shake, and the room was consumed with an earthquake. "FOLLOW ME!" screamed Fiera as she navigated her way across the room, jumping from falling board to falling board. (A little outrageous I know, but this is an action/ adventure that until this point had no action). Cye jumped a little too quickly and almost knocked Fiera off a board. Kayura and Cye were both tired, especially Cye who had not eaten as of lately.

"We're almost there!" Fiera cried.

Kayura had been careful to follow Fiera and Cye's path but she wasn't quick enough. She was falling closer to the bottom each time she jumped. Fiera and Cye reached the end of the room and Kayura jumped into Cye's arms. Kayura blushed a lovely shade of crimson and laughed nervously.

"Ummm...Cye, you can let go now," Kayura said.

"Oh right," responded Cye blushing too.

Fiera laughed, a more pleasant sounding high pitched laugh. "The exit is just this way, follow me," she said.

As they walked Kayura couldn't help but blurt out, "Wasn't there an easier way out of the castle?"

Fiera laughed once again, "Indeed there was, but it would have killed a full human. Besides it's much too suspicious, best to have braved the secret exit. That way they won't detect us," she said.

Cye, who thought Kayura's outburst to be rude then said, "Who designed all those traps anyways?"

"I did," said Fiera, "I figured you would already know considering I knew the way out," she said.

"Ahh I see," said Cye.

After descending a rickety rotted wood staircase they saw a medium sized bronze door.

"Viola!" Fiera said, pointing to the door.

"Thank you so much for everything," said Cye politely.

"Yes, thanks," said Kayura sincerely, "Are you coming with us?"

"If I stay they will kill me," said Fiera, "besides I'm up for a little revenge anyway," she told them with a vicious smile.

"Can't say I blame you. I owe Talpa big time for brain washing my closest friends, the ex warlords," said Kayura.

"Fiera what's the big blue hole in the ground, the big shining light?" asked Cye.

"It's a portal back to the mortal realm," she said leading the way.

Kayura leaned forward and looked into it and saw nothing but light. Cye also peered into it and saw light.

"It's alright, really," Fiera told them as she placed one foot in. After placing the other in, she seemed to drop into the hole and disappear.

"Umm....Cye...." said Kayura.

"It's okay, Kayura, we can trust this," said Cye as he put one foot into the hole. Soon after he put another in and yelled as he felt himself plummeting through.

Kayura stood there by herself, "No way! I'm not doing this!" she yelled to no one in particular.

But after standing for a moment she though of what would happen if Talpa and his newly reclaimed warlords would do to her if they found her. Slowly and reluctantly she put a foot in and than the other...

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!" screamed Kayura.

She wasn't sure if she closed her eyes or not because it only seemed to take a second, but had she opened her eyes all she would see would have seen was bright blue light.

Kayura felt herself fall out of the portal and land upon something rather soft, which broke her fall.

"OW!" said Cye, whose backside Kayura landed upon.

Fiera had landed on her back, with Cye laying on her stomach, and Kayura sat on Cye's butt. It only took a second for Kayura to climb off Cye. Cye however, remained laying on Fiera.

"Cye, you can get up now," said Fiera.

"Of course," he said offering her a hand to help her up with.

Fiera received his help and rose to her feet, dusting off her black robes.

Cye looked around, "The Koji Mansion is located at the end of this forest. Follow me," he said.

-M*S