Chapter 5
New Ronins See The Light
Each girl arrived in a different part of the dimension. Immediately, each could feel the pull of something. It was almost as if the armor was calling them.
Sara landed in an area where the sun blazed brightly down on the prairie. In front of her the mountains climbed high into the sky. From one of the highest peaks there was a twinkling light. The pull was coming from it's direction so she decided to go toward the light. Hours seemed to pass but the sun remained high, never moving from it's place.
That's funny Sara thought. I'm sure I have been traveling for a long time now but the sun doesn't seem to have moved any.
She continued on toward the light. Soon, she came upon the sight. A metal plaque was mounted into the rock. It read: Those who seek the sun must shine with their own inner brilliance or be blinded by the light. I wonder what that is supposed to mean. What inner brilliance? Well, there doesn't seem to be anything else here.
Just then Sara noticed a bubbling brook a little ways away. That water sure looks cool and inviting. She looked longingly at the water.
She knelt by the brook and drank her fill, not stopping until her thirst was quenched. Suddenly from the other side there was the sound of an animal crashing through the underbrush. Sara stood up and backed away as the sound drew nearer. Then a rather large rat-like creature emerged. It was only about two feet long and half a foot tall on all four. The most noticeable thing about it was the fact that it carried several babies with it. Behind the creature appeared a slightly larger animal that resembled a cat. It looked at it's prey hungrily as it slowly stalked forward, backing the other creature up to the water. As she watched, Sara saw the mother rat put her babies down and get in a defensive position in front of them. For a moment she could almost swear the thing looked at her with a plea for help in it's beady eye.
That poor mama is trying to protect her young and can't go anywhere else. I have to help her out. Thinking quickly, Sara grabbed a stick and waved it in front of the cat. The cat backed away with a hiss. Then she grabbed the little rats in both hands and set them on the other side of the brook. As she went to pick up the mama rat the cat lunged for its prey, but Sara moved quicker and the cat landed in the brook. With a loud meow, it jumped back out on its side of the brook, gave the rat family and Sara a dirty look, and ran off. When Sara set the mama rat down the rat checked her babies and then resettled them for traveling. At the edge a down slope where it would disappear from sight, the mama stopped and looked back at Sara. It almost seemed as if it was thanking her because there was gratitude in her eye. Then she turned and disappeared from sight. Sara smiled, happy to have helped the rat without hurting the cat. Although she didn't notice, her forehead kanji was glowing and on the plaque the same symbol glowed. Hearing a sound like that of a door opening, Sara turned to find an entrance into the rock where the plaque had been earlier. Feeling just a little uneasy she headed inside. She had the strangest feeling that the worst was yet to come.
Jaya opened her eyes to see a beautiful crystal blue lake only a few feet away from her. In the center of the lake there seemed to be a small island. From where she stood Jaya saw a bright light, like sun light reflected off a shiny object. She felt something pulling her toward the light, but the lake was huge. After debating for a moment, she decided that since she was a strong swimmer she would go for it. Jaya swam for what seemed like a long time as the sun crept overhead. Finally, just when she felt herself losing strength Jaya felt the bottom underneath her feet. Gratefully she tiredly dragged herself out of the water. Lifting her head she saw in front of her a huge stone fountain. In the center of it was a marble stand that held up a single plaque. Walking closer to it, Jaya saw that there was an inscription on the plaque. It read: Those who would seek the storm's simplicity may not complicate the matter. I wonder what that means. It kind of reminds me of that old saying 'Oh what tangled webs we weave when first we practice to deceive.' I wonder if it has anything to do with that. Just then a voice said from behind her, "You there, girl. Who are you and what are you doing here?" Whirling around, Jaya found herself looking at the strangest creature she had ever seen. It resembled a mer-person, sitting in the lake with water up to its waist and its scaled tail submerged. The likeness stopped there because instead of the top of a human it had the chest of a wolf up to just underneath the shoulders. Both the arms and the shoulders were that of an ape and on top of them sat the head of a cat. Jaya stood there with her mouth open wide. In front of her the creature scowled and said, "I have an important question."
Without thinking Jaya blurted out, "What kind of question?"
The thing scowled even more and puffed out its chest. "A question that will open the door you seek to enter." It replied.
"What door?" she asked.
"Why, the one that will appear if you answer the question truthfully," it said.
She asked, "What is your question?"
"Have you ever stolen anything in your life?" he asked her.
She hesitated for a while not wanting to tell the truth for fear of not being able to receive her armor, but she had stolen something before.
"Well, I'm waiting," the creature said impatiently.
I can't tell the truth, but I also have never been able to lie. she thought. "N-N-N..." she started, "Yes I have," she blurted out. Almost immediately she was sorry she couldn't say a lie, but a sense of relief also flooded her.
"W-W-What did you say?" asked the thing. I thought for sure she would never tell the truth for the fear of losing her chance at the armor. he thought.
"I said yes I have stolen something," she replied, more confidently this time, noticing his stunned reaction, "I stole my sister's favorite earrings and gave them to a friend of mine for her birthday."
"I can't believe you told the truth," he replied, still shocked. "No one has ever beaten me, I can't believe a snot nosed little girl did."
"It hurts, doesn't it," Jaya laughed, "And I am not a snot nosed little girl." Her forehead kanji started to glow when she told the truth and it matched the one on the plaque. Just then, the fountain moved and in it's place a trap door was opened. Unaware of this happening she backed up and fell in. As she rolled down the sloped path that spiraled downward the words of the creature echoed in her ears. 'This isn't over yet, girlie. We'll meet again down below.' She had a feeling that he spoke the truth.
Penny landed face up in a large pile of leaves. She had to fight her way through the light mass to get to her feet. Once she was standing she gazed around her in awe. All around her were huge trees that towered above her. Straight in front of her she caught sight of something gleaming through the trees. As she looked in that direction she felt almost as if someone or something was drawing her closer to it. It seemed to slowly be coming closer to her. With a start she realized she had been walking toward the light, which explained why it had been coming closer. Shrugging, she continued on toward the light. Time passed slowly for Penny and after awhile she began to feel hungry. By now she was close enough to see that the thing that was shining at her was a piece of metal attached to the trunk of a massive tree. The tree looked to be the width of the three of the trees surrounding it if they were placed side by side. Right in the center was a plague. Moving closer, Penny examined the writing etched into the surface. It read: The strength of the forest can only be known by those that know its heart. I wonder what that means. 'That know its heart. Suddenly Penny's stomach rumbled and she realized that it had been a very long time since she had eaten. Looking around she spied a fruit tree nearby with lots of bright red fruit that looked absolutely delicious. Going over to it, she began to pick some of the fruit. When she gathered what looked to be enough to at least quiet her hunger she sat down at the base of the tree and began to eat. Suddenly, from out of nowhere a group of ape-like creatures appeared. They spied Penny with her pile of fruit and ran over, quickly surrounding her. The largest one said, "Well, hello there. We were just passing through when we spotted you sitting here. That fruit looks mighty good and we're all hungry. How about you just hand it over and you get yourself some more?"
Oh, boy. My first instinct is to tell them to get their own but they all seem so hungry that they look dangerous. They might try to fight me if I don't do what they say. There are only three of them, and I do like a good challenging fight every now and then, and I hate to be told what to do by someone when they can do it themselves. she thought. "I noticed that you are all healthy and are capable of getting your own so why don't you get yourselves some, there is a full tree over there," she said pointing to the tree she just got out of.
"Well, how dare you suggest to us to get our own food," said the largest one, "We are above that and you are to do what we say."
Normally, Penny might get hostile over what the ape said, but she decided to ignore it. She was just so hungry that she just turned around and began to eat the fruit.
"What do you think you are doing," yelled the large ape, "I told you to get us some food."
"I am eating, that's what I am doing," she retorted, "You are not above me and I am not in your control, so leave me alone and get your own food."
Her forehead kanji began to glow the same as on the plaque causing a door to open in the base of the tree. All this happened unnoticed by Penny. She was too busy keeping an eye on the ape.
The ape was so angry that he lunged at her. Penny moved out of the way quickly. The open door never even caught her eye. As she moved to get out of his reach the second time she flew into the entrance way and fell inside. Her eyes widened as they followed a path of stairs that wound downward. The door shut quickly, but before it did she heard the big ape yelling, "I will get you in there later." Peering over her shoulder she shuddered when she realized that his part in her fate wasn't over. Shaking her head she started down the path. A chill went through her as she felt so alone.
Midget blinked her eyes, amazed at the sight in front of her. She stood in front of a huge cliff. Looking around she noticed that she stood on a beach. It was dark out, and thousands of stars and planets gleamed in the sky. A huge moon seemed to hang over the horizon. Fascinating. I wonder if it stays perpetually dark here. Midget turned to look at the cliff again. Up at the peak she saw something that sparkled in the moonlight. Hmm. I can feel the armors call. It is coming from the direction of the gleam. I'll go toward it. Midget studied the cliff face carefully, finding natural indentions and protrusions she could use to climb. Before she began, Midget took off the flannel over shirt she was wearing, leaving her arms open in the sleeveless T-shirt she wore underneath, and tied it around her waist. As she climbed she considered the situation. Since no one else is here I must assume that each of us has been placed near our armors. Therefore each of us will probably have to face individual challenges that are connected in some way to our armor. I know that the armors are linked through virtues and that the bearers each have a special ability. Maybe the tests are based on these. Well, I suppose I will find out sooner or later. Her musings came to an abrupt halt when she reached the top of the cliff.
Pulling herself up over the edge, she took a moment to rest. Climbing was had work. After a moment she turned and saw a huge ivory tower. It was the color of the stars in the sky. On either side there was an outcropping of rocks, almost like a base for it. Midget stood up and walked to the tower. On the side was a plaque with an inscription on it. The inscription was: Those who seek the heavens' force must be able to care for its creations. Care for its creations, huh? Perhaps it means taking care of something. But what? She stood looking at the plaque thoughtfully for several minutes. All of a sudden the sound of something crashing through the underbrush to the right rose above the crash of waves against the beach. Midget spun to watch the area carefully. An animal resembling a large mountain goat ran out of the bushes. Behind it a creature with the bottom of a horse, the chest and arms of a man, and the head of a bird. It carried a large spear with a point like an arrow.
The creature with the spear cried, "Come back here you little wimp. You are useless, but your horns will make a good decoration for my headpiece." Then it laughed and swung at the goat.
Midget frowned. I don't like that, killing an animal just to decorate something with its horns. It's not right. No animal should be disregarded in such a way. Everyone should respect and take care of everyone else. That is what makes a community thrive. I've got to do something. As she was thinking all this the path the pair was taking had them nearby. Suddenly the hunting creature reached out and scared the other creature into going between the tower and the rocks. This trapped the frightened beast.
Midget walked over as the hunting creature slowly backed its victim up to the tower. "Hey, you there. What do you think you are doing? You can't treat another living being that way," she cried.
"Its none of your business what I do," retorted the creature, never taking his eyes from its prey. "But since you butted in, you might as well tell me why not. This thing is worthless. Who cares whether it lives or dies?"
"I care," she cried, angered. "It is the business of all creatures to look after each other. No living being is worthless."
"Why do you care," questioned the beast, tormenting his prey by stabbing the spear at it.
"Life is a precious gift, no matter what form that life takes," Midget replied. "It shouldn't be wasted."
"Its not going to be," retorted the beast.
The creature swung it's spear at the beast and she grabbed its arm. "Stop it," she cried.
"Get out of my way," it hissed angrily, shaking her off. Then it swung the spear in the air and brought it down toward the goat.
Without considering it, Midget dodged around the beast and put herself between it and its prey. The spear swung down in an arc and came straight at her. She stared into the creature's eyes as the spear neared. In front of her heart the spear stopped, only an inch away. On her forehead her forehead kanji glowed. To the side a glow came from the mounted plaque on the tower. Midget watched in amazement as the creature dropped it's spear suddenly and backed away. A look of disbelief came across its face.
"Y-you're one of th-them, aren't you," it asked shakily.
"One of who," she asked.
The creature just shook it's head. Then it looked behind her. "Now look what you've done," it cried in dismay. "My prey is gone."
"Well, then I guess you're business is finished here," Midget replied. She then turned and walked back around the tower.
"Don't think you'll get away with interfering that easily," the beast suddenly snarled. Midget looked up from examining the door that had appeared out of nowhere in the tower wall. The creature smirked as it said, "I know why you are here and I know what lies ahead of you. I'll be sure to let HIM know what you've done." With that, the beast took off, heading back the way it came.
Midget watched him for a moment, then turned and entered the tunnel. As she did so she thought about what the creature had said. Now I know there is at least one more test to complete. I wonder what the next one will be like.
Munchkin found herself in a desert when she opened her eyes. She looked around for her friends because she never liked being alone. When she didn't see anyone, she decided to go looking for them. In front of her she spotted a forest. Some where in the distance she saw what looked to be a fire, and from her position she saw the strangest gleam coming from the flames. Munchkin decided that she couldn't leave the fire to just burn and ran to put it out. As she got closer to the fire she noticed that it began to take the shape of a temple.
What in the world is that? she thought. I could have sworn that was a fire. Just as she was about to get closer she saw a plaque to her left on a rock pedestal. She walked over to read it. Inscribed on it was this: Those who seek to wield the flame's power must have strength of heart . Must have strength of heart? Maybe it has something to do with a virtue, like with the Ronin Warriors. While Munchkin stood pondering a 'Fire Imp' appeared behind herIt was about seven feet tall with a bull's head, dragon wings, and the body of a bear. It also was a very dark red.
"Why are you here," the Imp asked.
"I thought I saw a fire and was going to help put it out when I noticed that it was actually this temple," she replied.
"No, I mean why are you in this dimension," it snapped, "I know everyone here and you are new, so I repeat why are you here?"
"I am here to get an armor to help out my dimension. We are being attacked by an evil that doesn't belong and my four friends and I are supposed to help fight it. But we have to get our armors first." she replied.
"So you are the one that the others talked about," the Imp said with a gleam in it's eyes.
"What do you mean the others talked about," Munchkin asked uneasily.
"Why your four other friends I mean," it replied with a smile, "I have them in my dungeon. They told me all about you when I tortured them."
"WHAT! You have my friends," Munchkin yelled getting very angry and worried, "Let them go now!"
"I couldn't do something like that or it would ruin the fun," laughed the Imp, "But I do have a proposition for you."
"And what would that be," she asked through clenched teeth, trying to calm down, but not succeeding.
"Well you say you are here for your armor, but you don't know where it is right," he hissed.
"Well yeah," she replied, "What are you getting at?"
"I know where it is and how you can get it, but in order for me to tell you are going to have to make a choice," the Imp said slyly.
"Well out with it, I am losing my patience," Munchkin retorted.
"I will give you the choice of saving your friends or getting your armor," it said. "You decide, your friends or your armor."
"What kind of choice is that," she screamed, ready to kill it. "I can't choose one or the other."
"You will have to, and soon because your friends don't have much time left," it said smiling, "Look over there." The Imp pointed to an opening that just appeared behind Munchkin. Inside she saw her friends chained to the far wall laying on the ground looking all beat up and tired. She looked back to the Imp and saw him open another door. Inside that one was a maroon colored orb.
Oh, no he has the orb and my friends, what will I do? she thought. I have no choice. I have to save my friends, they will be able to fight without me. Sorry guys, I hope you understand.
"I have made up my mind," Munchkin told it quietly.
"And what is your answer," it asked smugly, almost certain of the answer.
"I will save my friends," she cried running towards the door. At the same time her forehead kanji began to glow. A answering glow came from the plaque.
"WHAT? NO!" the Imp cried, lunging for her. Munchkin quickly dodged and dove for her friends. She landed on the floor and looked up, but her friends had disappeared. All she saw in front of her was a tunnel.
"Oh no, where did they go," she cried. Looking back she saw the door close. Before it shut she heard the Imp saying, "This is not over. You will see me again down below."
Sara had lost track of time while walking in the cave. Once she entered the cave had closed up again and she had to take a minute to calm down. As she did so she realized that it wasn't completely dark in there. Somewhere in front of her a light was dimly glowing. A little frightened of the dark she walked hopefully toward the light. Keeping her hands on the walls to guide her around turns, she walked as quickly as she thought it was safe to. The light grew brighter and brighter, but always seemed to be a little out of reach. Then, as she rounded a corner she stopped dead in her tracks. There, right in front of her on a natural pedestal was a small, round, yellow orb. It seemed to glow with the same brilliance as the sun. Sara had noticed that the closer she got the stronger the pull. Now she felt almost as if she were being physically pulled toward it. All of a sudden her hand, which she had reached to touch the orb with, hit something solid. She looked but found nothing blocking the way. When she reached out again she hit the same obstacle. Oh, great. There must be some kind of invisible shield or something. Now what. Sara moved her hand all around but she couldn't find any opening. As she became more frustrated the orb glowed more brightly. Quiet footsteps nearby broke her concentration.
"Well, well, if it isn't little miss kindness herself," snarled a rumbly voice.
Sara whirled around to see the cat from before stalking up to her. "You can talk," she exclaimed in surprise.
"Of course I can talk," replied the cat. "All things here can talk. But that doesn't have anything to do with this. You stole my lunch away from me and made me go hungry."
"Oh, yeah. Well, you're not the only hungry one. I haven't eaten since long before I arrived here," Sara replied calmly. Inside she wasn't so calm. With every step it took the cat seemed to grow larger. It was only about three feet away now and was as big as White Blaze. "H-h-how are you doing that?"
"Doing what," the cat asked innocently, but its malicious smile said it knew what she was talking about. It sat down where it was and watched her with a predatory grin.
"Growing bigger," she whispered.
"Oh, that," it returned negligently. "I won't tell you, but I'll let you guess. I'll even give you a hint. It has something to do with your abilities."
"I don't want to guess. I want an answer. If you aren't going to give it to me then stop wasting my time. Evidently I have a puzzle to solve." Sara tried to sound more confident than she felt.
"Oh, bravo," sneered the cat. "That false bravado of yours nearly convinced me. I tell you what. Since I'm feeling generous today I'll make you a deal. If you can guess what allows me to do this and your own hidden ability, not only will I leave you alone, but I'll help you get that shiny ball behind you."
"You know how to get it," she gasped incredulously.
"That's right. But you won't have to worry about it since you're not likely to guess the correct answer anyways."
"All right, I'll take that bet," she said, annoyed.
"Good. Then what is the answer," the cat purred out silkily. It now came close enough to rub up against her, nearly knocking her down.
Noticing the way it eyed her like it had the rat earlier when it thought it had captured its dinner, Sara began to rack her brain frantically. Let's see, something to do with hidden abilities. No, I don't need to know that yet. What could allow a cat to grow from normal house cat size to tiger size in only minutes? Think, think. There must be something. Wait a minute. In one of Midget's stories wasn't there something that changed the size and shape of things and stuff like that. What was it....mystical.., close but no. Something like...voodoo, but not quite. Oh, I know I know this I just can't think of it. Something I used to laugh at but secretly wished I could do. Starts with an S...So....Sorcery! "Sorcery!!! The answer is sorcery," she cries excitedly.
"Drats," the cat mumbled.
"Now, tell me how to get to the orb," Sara demanded, still pleased with her triumph.
"Not so fast," returned the cat. "It was a two answer question. So what's the second answer?"
What type of person uses sorcery, she thought, then it hit her, "I'm a mage. That's it isn't it, yes of course. Ha. Now you have to tell me how to get the orb."
The cat growls to himself, pacing back and forth. "All right, fine. You must banish the spell."
"And how do I do that," she retorted.
"Just say 'Barrier, I banish thee,'" returned the cat sullenly.
Turning toward the orb, Sara tried it. "Barrier, I banish thee." A barrier of see through yellow light appeared briefly before disappearing. With a delighted cry Sara reached for the orb but the cat suddenly pounced on her from the side, knocking her into the far wall.
"I said I'd tell you how to get in," snarled the angry cat with a smirk. "but I didn't say I'd let you have it. If you want it, you'll have to take it from me." With that, the cat lunged at her again.
Sara dodged, just barely avoiding the attack. Spinning, she lashed out with her foot. Her kick landed at its shoulder, sending it into the nearby wall. It immediately sprang to its feet and lunged again. After a few minutes of fighting Sara realized that the cat had more stamina for high powered fighting. If she was going to get out of here relatively unscathed then she would have to grab the orb and go. When the cat lunged again she dropped to the floor and rolled under it, then sprang to her feet and dashed over to the pedestal.
"Nooooooooooooooo," the cat cried. It tried to stop her but it was too late. Sara grabbed the orb. Suddenly the light in the cave flashed blindingly and the temperature rose in the cave.
Sara was amazed that she could still see. Turning, she saw the entrance the cat had used earlier and sprinted down the tunnel. Not turning around to see if it followed, Sara ran until she reached the end of the tunnel and a cave entrance.
After what seemed an incredible length of time to Jaya, during which she became very grateful for all the tumbling she had to do in gymnastics, the path finally ended with a slight drop into a pool of water. Standing up she realized that the water reached to just below her shoulders. That meant that the creature from before could get down here, just like it said it would. I think I'd better try to find that armor and get out of here as quickly as possible. Looking around, she noticed a light a short distance away. It looked as if it were underwater. Moving closer, she noticed that the water surrounding it churned as if it were a miniature typhoon. In the center of the whirling water was a small, round sphere of some kind that glowed teal. Jaya felt the tug that had led her here pull even stronger at the sight and knew that this was what she had been looking for. As she reached down to grab it she was suddenly picked up by her right arm and flung to the side. She fell into the water with a splash and tried to find her feet.
"There is no escaping this time, girlie," the same taunting voice from earlier told her.
Jaya groaned as she found her footing in time to be shoved savagely to the side, farther away from the orb. "I won't let you have it so easily, girlie. If you want the orb, you have to get through me first," the creature challenged. It fell back into a defensive position.
Jaya moved forward only to retreat again when it came near her. She then started moving around the creature, careful to maintain the same distance. The creature went with her, keeping itself between her and the orb. Because it had fins it moved faster than her so when she tried to fake going one way and then go the other she only got half way there before she was knocked back to the wall. Uh, oh. I'm going to have to find a way to distract that thing so that I can grab the orb. But how? Wait a second. Last year, when I was practicing some karate with Penny she said that at one point she could have sworn I was in one place but I was really in another. We joked about my being able to form illusions, even though no one else saw me anywhere else. I remember because Midget looked at me closely for a moment, and then smiled this knowing smile. It was as if she knew something, or at least suspected something, about me that I didn't. I had this weird feeling then, like we'd been through this before, only I didn't remember it. Kind of like deja vu. It was really weird. Maybe I could do it again. But how, when I don't know how I did it the first time. What did Munchkin say when we asked that last time? That maybe it had something to do with our concentration?? HEY, THAT'S IT! CONCENTRATION!
Just then the creature lunged at her with his trident, sending her jumping backwards. She tripped over something and landed in a passageway. Now she knew how he'd gotten in. As she tried to push herself up her hand caught on something that felt like a stick. Running her hand along it she found that it was as thick as a lead pipe. Perfect. Now for a little pole fighting and a lot of concentration. She walked toward the creature, holding her new weapon aloft so that he could see it.
"Oh, so you think you can fight back with that, uh," it chortled, still half convulsed in mirth at the previous scene. "All righty then girl. Show me what you've got."
"Oh, don't worry," she whispered softly to herself, "I will." She went toward him and used the stick like a pole, fighting with all of her skill. Jaya waited patiently for just the right opening and then put her plan into action. First she projected herself into his mind as having dodged right when in reality she dodged left. Then from only a foot away she concentrated on what movements she would use and the strength she would to block or hit. Her first few attempts were clumsy but she got the hang of it quickly enough. she waited until she could make a 'strategic retreat', and then pretended to pull back while turning and running for the orb. Enraged at the fact that she was still standing the creature 'followed' her. This left the orb open and she dashed in and grabbed it. Too late the creature heard the splashing behind him and caught on to her scheme. It turned just in time to see her lift the orb from it little nest. The typhoon suddenly expanded and engulfed the room, flinging both of them around the room. Jaya managed to grab a hold of the cave edge and, using bits of vine and wholes in the wall, she managed to pull herself out of the tunnel. She emerged from the tunnel at a cave entrance.
Penny wondered how long she had been walking. In the dark the only thing visible was this strange mahogany colored glow. It was very dim at first but the closer she got the brighter it appeared. She felt an urgent need to find whatever was glowing. As she stepped down the last steps she glanced up. Penny found that she was at the entrance to a huge cavern. There was another entrance on the opposite wall, a little to the left. To the right of it was a shelf in the wall. In the center of the shelf sat a small, circular, mahogany ball. The rest of the cavern was bare except for a few piles of twigs and leaves around the walls. Without meaning to Penny found herself walking straight to the ball. It seemed to pulse with energy in time with her steps. She tripped on something and landed on her hands in a pile similar to those around the wall. Penny gasped as a scene flashed in her mind.
An Ape that looked like the one who had been leading the other two in the forest sat on the pile. Around it many other Apes sat in a semi circle, watching him intently. They were talking amongst themselves but when he raised his hands they stopped. In his right hand was the ball.
In a soft voice he said, "We have been chosen as guardians for the armor of Forest. The legend says that only those who are independent in nature and have the gift to see past events may wear the armor. Therefore, we must test those who come for it. If they are the bearer of the armor they must prove it by..........
As suddenly as the sequence started, it stopped. Penny shook her head, trying to make sense of what she had learned. What just happened? The armor of Forest? Test those who come for it? This is weird. She looked once more at the glowing light, and felt herself almost mesmerized by its hypnotic glow. Standing again, she forgot the events of moments before and hurried over to the ball. Just as she reached for it a sound came at the other entrance to the cavern.
"And just what do you think you're doing, girl?" The leader bellowed his question, striding over to her and pushing her away. He smirked nastily as he said, "I told you I'd get you in here later. Well, its later." With that he punched her, sending her halfway across the cavern. He followed after her, fist clenched and ready to strike.
Penny rolled to her feet and just barely dodged his next swing. She danced backwards, out of range, and then darted back in to land a solid punch in his side. He gave a slight grunt in acknowledgment of the hit and swung around to knock her away. As Penny got to her feet he stalked over. Moving quickly, she spun out of the way of his next hit flung out a leg to trip him. Penny backed away a few steps and racked her brain as she watched him rise. Oh, great. He's a lot stronger than he looks. This isn't good. How am I going to get that orb with him on my case?
She came back to reality when he lunged at her. With a spin she avoided the attack. It looks like he's getting madder by the minute. I've got to think of something. Wait, didn't that dream thing say something about a test and proving the ability to see things from the past or something? Penny was caught off guard and flung savagely to the ground. As the Ape leaned over her Penny said dazedly, "I wonder if this is part of the test."
The Ape suddenly stood very still. "What did you say?"
"I said I wonder if this is part of the test," Penny snapped irritably. She rubbed the back of her head as she sat up, causing the Ape to automatically back up.
"What are you talking about," the Ape asks scornfully. "What test?"
"The test for the armor of Forest," returned Penny. Her head hurt and concentrating on this conversation wasn't helping any. "At least, that's what I thought I heard. You were speaking so softly I couldn't hear very well."
A look of utter astonishment crossed his face. "What I said?"
"Yeah, you," she retorted, Then she frowned a little in confusion. "Or at least, it looked like you. Only it was a little darker and had a reddish-brown patch of hair in the shape of a line of three trees on its right shoulder."
"Where and when did you see this thing that looked like me," he questioned.
"Right over there in that pile of leaves," Penny responded, still a bit confused. "I wasn't watching where I was going, tripped, and fell into those leaves. Then this weird thing happened and I saw this Ape like the one I described sitting in that pile. Around him were a lot of other Apes. They stopped talking when he raised his hands in the air. In his right hand he held that ball over there. Then he started speaking, in this really soft voice. He said something about them having been chosen to guard the armor of Forest. There was also something about it only being worn by people who are independent and can see things from the past."
"Past events," corrected the Ape absently.
"Whatever," Penny said, not noticing that part of his attention was gone. "Anyways, he also said something about them testing those who came for it. He went on to say that the bearer must prove who they are but it stopped before he said how they were to do that."
"It wasn't a he," corrected the Ape, still distracted. Penny finally took notice.
"Huh? Who wasn't a he," she asked, confused.
"The one you saw in the dream," the Ape returned, turning his attention back to her. "The Ape you saw speaking was my Mother. She was telling everyone the story. That was shortly before she died, over three years ago."
"Whoa, hey I'm sorry about your loss," Penny said softly. "I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."
"Never mind that," the Ape dismissed, although the sadness lingered briefly in his eyes. He looked at her considering. "So, you are the armor bearer, huh? And now you have come to collect your birthright. Tell me this first. Why now?"
"My world is in trouble so I need the armor to save it," Penny explained. "My four friends and I came here to get our armors. The others aren't with me because when we arrived I was alone and so I don't know where they are. All I really know is that I came here for the armor and I can't go back home without it."
She looked at the Ape closely. He whispered something to himself that she just barely heard. "At last, the warrior has returned. We have paid our debt and are now free."
The Ape walked over to the shelf and picked up the ball. It walked back over to her and held it out to her. As she hesitantly took it the Ape said, "My people owed the last bearer a great deal for saving us. It was decided that to repay that debt we would become guardians of the armor. Each generation there after would have one member who, like my Mother, had the symbol of the Forest as a birthmark. That member was to be responsible for the orb and the legend that goes with it. They were the ones who made the tests and tested those who wished to wear the armor. Legend had it that the mark would disappear when the bearer came. Earlier today I was informed that the mark had disappeared off of my sister. We knew that the bearer had come. I am happy to give you your orb. Now all of us who guarded the orb can join the rest of our people."
Penny blinked. "OK, well, um, I'm happy for you. Uh, could you tell me how to get out of here?"
"Sure," the Ape responded with a shrug. "Just follow that tunnel on out of here."
Penny looked in the direction he pointed and saw the entrance she had spotted earlier. "Well, thanks a lot," she said as she walked out. I wonder if the others went through anything like that. After only a few minutes of walking she found herself at the end of the tunnel and the entrance to a cave.
Midget had been walking for awhile, following a brightly glowing light. It was the only thing she could see. As she walked, she thought about her friends and the legends she had read. I'm pretty sure each armor is linked by a virtue. Mine by love, Munchkin's by friendship, Sara's by kindness, Jaya's by truth, and Penny's by independence. They suit us, naturally. Without noticing it, Midget had stepped into a fairly large room.
Midget stopped when she reached the center of the room, puzzled. The pull she had felt all this time told her that the armor, or actually the armor orb, was in this room. When she looked around, though, there was nothing to see except two passage ways leading down. Suddenly, she felt an odd sensation and looked up. She stared at the ceiling, which had been painted to look like the sky outside. In the center, floating a few inches below the painted ceiling, was a small silver orb. From the orb came the glow that she had followed.
As she stood there, trying to think of a way to get the orb down, the sound of footsteps came from the passage way opposite the one she had used. Turning, she watched an animal resembling the hunter from below enter the room. That one had been at least six feet while this one looked to be about seven feet tall. It had arms the size of a telephone pole and carried a larger version of the hunter's spear in one hand, with a tip as big as her head. In the other it carried a ladder. The beast walked over to her and gestured for her to move, which she did. Silently, it placed the ladder in position and Midget could see that it reached all the way up to just under the orb. Then the beast moved to block the ladder and turned to look at her. "I have heard about your deeds from my hunter. Few are those who make it to challenge me. Not many have what it takes. Therefore, I am willing to overlook your earlier mistake."
"I'm sure that your offer is very kind," she responded mildly, "but I do not believe what I did was a mistake and I do not want you to overlook it."
"You don't seem to understand," the beast said, "I am the guardian of the orb and I am willing to forgive your mistake."
A voice whispers in her ear, "He means that if you renounce your actions of earlier, he will not kill you."
"What was that," Midget asked, cautiously looking around. The beast looked at her suspiciously.
"What is what," it asked.
"That voice that just spoke in my ear," she replied distractedly, still looking around.
Midget missed the look of stunned surprise on his face, but the flare of emotion flashed in her mind. Whirling around to face him, she now saw a faint outline around the guardian. The color was grayish. It was weak but intense from the turmoil of emotions the guardian felt. They ranged from shock to curiosity to hope. However, his expression gave nothing away. Something from the right caught her eye and she turned her head. Her eyes widened when she saw a similar creature made up entirely of the substance that formed the outline of the guardian. "Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing," she asked faintly.
"That depends," returned the guardian. "What are you seeing?"
"Enough, guardian," the ghost said sternly. "You know what she is talking about."
"Wait a second here," Midget said, cutting off the guardian's reply. "I've read about things like this happening. The ability to see the aura of others, even those who are technically undead, and to feel their emotions is called empathy."
"You know about this already," the guardian asked incredulously.
"A few years ago I noticed that I was becoming more sensitive to the emotions of others around me," she replied calmly. "Since then I have been researching the matter. However, I've never experienced anything like this before."
Both ghost and guardian looked at each other. "We have been waiting for you and we are glad that you are finally here," the guardian told her gravely. "Your arrival means the end of our enforced captivity in the tower. However, I am honor bound to try to keep you away from the orb and I have not lost a fight yet."
"And I am honor bound to help him," the ghost said sadly. "After many years I have gotten good at distracting people so I'm afraid your quest ends here."
Oh, great. Now not only do I have to deal with a spear wielding behemoth, but I also have to deal with a ghost distracting me at the same time. Wonderful. Midget almost felt like laughing at the irony of her situation. On one hand the empathy could help her with the guardian but on the other it was a hindrance with the ghost's presence. "So I have to kill you? With no weapons or anything," she asked the guardian
"No all you have to do is get around me and grab the orb," he replied. She perked up a bit. "But since you would have to go around me and up the ladder before it could turn around and knock it out from underneath you, that's the only way to do it. Tell me when you're ready."
Midget thought about what he had said. All she had to do was get up the ladder and grab the orb. If she was going to do that, then she would need to get him as far away from the ladder as possible, probably at least to the wall. Then she would need to dodge around him and sprint over to the ladder. There, she would have to climb the steps as quickly as possible. If necessary, she could jump up to grab the orb. That shouldn't be too difficult if I can get used to the ghost's antics and block them out when I've got the rest of it set up. Now to put my plan into action.
The guardian and the ghost had been waiting patiently. When she turned to them with an air of determination, they got ready. "All ready, then," asks the guardian.
"Yes," she responded quietly. "Let's get this over with." With that, she lunged at the guardian and kicked one leg out from under him, nearly sending him to the floor. Then she danced back away from him. He retaliated by swinging the spear at her. At the same time the ghost flew at her and she stumbled into the spear's path. It hit her right leg, slicing a long gash down her thigh. She backed away quickly.
That was only the beginning. It was a long, slow process, moving the guardian over to the wall. Both were limping slightly and bruises were already forming. Midget had a tremendous headache, thanks to the ghost. The fight seemed to take forever. Finally, though, the guardian was far enough away. When he lunged at her, swinging the spear wide, she spun away and sprinted as quickly as she could to the ladder. Then the ghost appeared right in front of her. This time, she did not even slow down. She plunged right through the image and over to the ladder. Midget climbed up as quickly as she could, but her right leg was going numb and it slowed her down. The aura of the guardian appeared dimly in her view. With only two steps more she felt the tremor that meant it had grabbed a hold of the ladder. Putting her right foot on the next to last step, Midget jumped right before the guardian took the ladder away. Stretching her left arm out, she felt the orb in her hand. As she felt her body begin to fall she closed her fingers tightly around the orb and closed her eyes in relief. In the next instant, strong arms caught her. Opening her eyes, Midget found herself in the arms of the guardian. In front of her hovered the ghost. Both wore smiles on their faces.
"You did it, girl," the ghost said. "Congratulations, Warrior of love and bearer of the Armor of the Heavens. You've claimed your birthright."
"Yes, congratulations," the guardian said as he set her on her feet. "Your's is a hard earned victory. You should be proud."
She smiled weakly at them. "Thank you. Now could you do me two little favors? One, tell me where to go from here and two, tell me why you were happy to see me but still had to put me through all that."
Both turned and pointed to the entrance the guardian had used earlier. "It's that way," the guardian said. Then he grinned as he explained, "Many years ago my people met the previous wearer of the armor of the Heavens. My ancestors were head strong and arrogant. They challenged the warrior, thinking that they could win. It is said to have been a fierce battle, with only the best fighters of our people involved. My great-great-great-grandfather, who was their best fighter, was the only one to chose not to fight. At the end of the battle, only the warrior was left standing. The people blamed the loss on my great-great-great-grandfather, saying that if he had fought we would have won. His reply was that he would not kill merely for the sake of pride. You see, my ancestor knew that the others had plotted to kill the warrior by putting poison on his weapon. After seeing the ridicule he endured silently, the warrior questioned my ancestor. My ancestor answered him truthfully and told him that he knew the other had not killed those he fought against. He also told him that he knew who he was and why he was here. The warrior was impressed by him. It was then that the warrior decided to make us the guardians of his armor. We were a race of fighters and intellectuals, well suited to the task. My people had lost the battle, therefore, according to our rules we had to serve as slaves. Because of my ancestor, though, the time period was limited to only until the new bearer arrived to the armor. Since my people blamed my ancestor, my family has been the ones to stay in the tower and keep the story alive. I have been here since I proved able to best my father. Soon my own son would have had to come and take his turn as a guard. Thankfully, you have come and taken the armor. Now I can finally go home and my son no longer has to worry about coming here. We are all free."
"And I can finally cross over to the other dimension," the ghost said with anticipation. "I have faithfully watched over and helped my descendants from my death, as I promised my son I would. Now I can finally go where I belong. Goodbye, guardian. I know your next task will go as well for you." With that, the ghost disappeared.
"Goodbye, young warrior," said the guardian. "I know you will succeed at your quest." He then turned and went through the passage way she had used to enter.
Well, that was interesting. I wonder if the others had to go through something similar. Well, I guess I'd better get moving. Taking one step, Midget was abruptly reminded of just how bad her injury was as a wave of pain nearly caused her to blank out. She let the wave pass, placed her orb in her pocket, and then took her flannel from around her waist. I had a feeling this thing would come in handy. Midget tore two strips off the bottom of the shirt. Then she wrapped them tightly around her injured leg. That done, she hobbled over to the other passage way. With one hand braced along the wall, she made her way downward. After a long and painful trip, she finally reached the end of the tunnel. She found herself standing at the entrance to a cave.
Munchkin felt like she had been walking for hours. She was still very worried about her friends. The more she walked, the worse she felt. Distracted by these thoughts, she didn't notice when the tunnel suddenly opened into a room. As she entered the room, a strange flash of light brought her back to the present. Glancing up, she stopped when she saw a stone pedestal in the center of the room. At the top was a basin and in the center of it a maroon flame burned brightly. Floating above the flames was a small maroon ball. As she looked at it Munchkin noticed that the pull she had felt earlier had increased. She knew she had to get the orb. My orb! But I thought the Imp had it and that I gave it up to save my friends. It must have been an illusion or something. That is, unless this is. Well, there's only one way to find out. When she reached for the orb, a voice stopped her.
"Not so fast," the Imp from earlier yelled as it tackled Munchkin, sending her flying into a wall. It lashed out with one paw, it's claw slicing through her back, from the bottom of her left shoulder across to the other side. "Now we will finish what we started."
Getting to her feet, Munchkin noticed that the tunnel she had entered through was now blocked by a boulder. The only way out now was a hole in the roof. That thing probably got in through there, she thought to herself. It was high up, at least thirty-five or forty feet. Looking around, the only thing she saw that led to the hole was a rope. The walls were smooth, so she couldn't climb them. Oh, great. The only way out of here and it has to be a rope. I have always been a slow climber. Just then, the Imp started speaking again.
"How about we make this a little more interesting, huh," the Imp asked with a smirk. It was standing by the wall opposite her. Reaching over it's head, it pulled open a small door. Inside was a red button. The Imp pushed the button, then laughed as the floor around the pedestal folded up. Munchkin looked at the gap in the floor with horror. There was at least fifteen feet of floor missing all around the pedestal. "Well, what do you think? This should make grabbing the orb challenging, eh?" The Imp started laughing again.
Munchkin considered the situation. Here she was, so close to the orb that the pull tugging at her thundered through her pulse. I've got to get that orb. But how? I can't jump it. Maybe I can jump into the pit, walk over to the pedestal, and climb up to the orb. With that thought she inched over to the ledge and peered down. The floor was covered in spikes, from one wall to the other. They were spaced only two inches apart. Well, there goes that idea.
A voice near her startled her, almost causing her to go over the edge. "There's no way you can get to it," the imp said. It stood only a few feet away. "In case you're wondering, that picture I made of your friends was an illusion. Your friends aren't even here anymore."
"What did you do to them," Munchkin asked, clenching her fists.
"Who said I did anything to them," the Imp replied. "I only know that they aren't here. Maybe they already got their orbs and got tired of waiting around for you, so they went home. Did you think of that?"
Munchkin thought about that. What if they did leave me? What if I'm all alone here? Wait a minute. "Midget has never left me before," replied she confidently, "and I don't believe she would leave me now."
"I said friends," retorted the Imp. "I didn't say how many of them. One of them might still be on this world."
"Is it the one with blue-black hair," asks Munchkin, worry making her speak before she thinks about her words. Fear for her friend claws at her.
"Why, that's the one," responded the Imp. "So, Midget's her name, huh? I'll have to let the one who has to deal with her know that. I'm sure he'd be very interested in knowing who it is he's torturing." It laughed hysterically.
Munchkin felt her stomach drop sickeningly. Torturing??? Oh, no. I've got to find her and get her out. But how?
"Ah, you poor little human," the Imp sneered. All this time they had slowly been circling the floor, the Imp advancing while attacking and Munchkin retreating while blocking. They were now back to their original positions. "You want to help your little friend. I can see it on your face. But how can you help your friend if you can't even help yourself?"
"What do you mean," asks Munchkin, feeling ready to scream in frustration.
"Why, you can't even get your armor," returned the Imp with an irritating smirk. "And without your armor, you will never be able to even find your friend on this world, much less save her. I'm afraid it's hopeless. Face it, because of you, your friend is doomed."
The mixture of emotions whirling around inside of Munchkin were near the explosion point. With every word the Imp said, the desperation inside her increased. At his last words the flood of emotions reached the breaking point, and the only thing she could think of was the sight of that little maroon orb right in front, within arms reach. A sudden flash of light caused her eyes to focus on what was in front of her. There, floating only an arms length away, was the maroon orb. Her arm reached out automatically to grab it.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," cried the Imp. It rushed at her and threw her.
Munchkin landed at the edge of the pit and rolled off. Her right hand caught the edge and she dangled there by one hand. In the other she tightly clutched the orb. She pulled herself up to the edge and then used her elbow to give her leverage to climb out. Hearing the Imp stomping toward her, she tucked her body in and rolled to the wall. Once the Imp passed by her she got to her feet and ran over to the rope. Munchkin put the orb in her pocket and placed her hands on the rope. As she climbed, her injury felt as if it were on fire. She didn't think the claws had cut too deep, though. The wound made climbing the rope more difficult, not to mention painful, but it was the only way. At the top, she looked down to see the Imp scowling at her. For some reason, it did not try to climb the rope. That's strange. I wonder why it didn't come after me. It doesn't really matter, though. Oh, no! Midget. I've got to find her. Without really paying attention, Munchkin pulled her legs up and swung them around. As she felt herself slipping, she realized that the roof was sloped.
Munchkin slid off the roof at the bottom. She landed in the tunnel only three feet below. Standing, she began walking down it. There's no where else to go so I guess I'll go this way. I only hope this will lead me to Midget. After a long walk, where her injury started to go numb, Munchkin finally made it to the end of the tunnel, where it opened up into a cave.
Five tunnels led to the same cave. At the end of each tunnel stood a bruised girl. The five girls looked at each other in amazement.
"Finally, I found you all," they all shouted at once, "Where have you been, and what happened?"
"You would not believe what happened to me," Penny said.
"Same here," the others chimed. All this time they were all trying to get to each other in the middle. After they all met up Munchkin and Midget stared at each other for a minute. Each was assessing the other.
"Are you all ok," asked Munchkin and Midget.
The others nodded. "Are you two all right?" they asked noticing Midget limping with a bandage on her leg and Munchkin's shirt bloody.
"I think I will be ok," replied Munchkin, "What about you Midget?"
"Me to, but let me look at your back," Midget answered. As she went over so did the others. They lifted her shirt to see three long fairly deep gashes down her back. Midget quickly took the rest of her flannel shirt and tied it around the wounds.
"All right now we have to get out of here," Munchkin sighed, "Any ideas Midget?"
"Well, the rock Kayura read said that we could only get back by using our armors. I think that if we all concentrate on where we left and work together we should be able to get back home. Did you all notice something weird happened, like a power you had, but didn't know about?" Midget said.
"Yeah, I found out that I am a Mage," Sara replied. "Isn't that cool?"
"Yeah, me too, but I did that thing where you think I am somewhere when I really am somewhere else," Jaya laughed.
"Same here, but I saw something happen, from three years ago, in my mind, and a ape told me I could see past events," Penny said proudly. "Beat that."
"Something weird happened to me where I thought that my orb was in front of me then it just appeared there," Munchkin said questioningly.
"That's what I thought," whispered Midget. "I found out that I am a stronger empath than I thought."
"What did you mean you so you thought," questioned Sara.
"What I mean is that I had an idea that we all had certain abilities. Sara, I remember when you got hurt and I saw a certain aura about you. I researched it and found that only mages had that kind of aura. Jaya, I had an idea what yours was from that time when you and Penny fought. Then you used your ability without meaning to. You can use mental illusions. Penny, remember how you get this odd sense of deja vu while meditating? And you 'remember' things that never happened to you. That is a form of Telepathy. Munchkin, yours is called Telekinesis. It is the ability to move objects with your mind. I thought that was yours because I have seen you look in one place several times for something and then all of a sudden you find it there. You were convinced that it should be there so that's where it went.," she explained.
"How could you remember all of that," asked Jaya.
"I was told by a friend to remember things that happened like that," she replied.
"Was it Anubis or the Ancient," Munchkin asked with a huge grin.
"It was the Ancient who said it, but he had Anubis remind me," she laughed in response. "Often, actually."
"Well, we can talk about this later," Munchkin sighed. "Lets go home."
"Should we join hands or something," asked Jaya.
"Sure, lets join hands and concentrate hard on our armors and getting home," replied Munchkin. They all joined hands and closed their eyes. Within a minute their forehead kanji's were glowing and they were fading out. Inside each of their minds was a picture of them all standing back at the cave entrance in their own dimension. A blinding flash of light suddenly encompassed them and when they opened their eyes they were back.
To be continued....