Part 12: The Birth of Nightstryker

Back in Sage's cell, there was a faint glowing emanating from Sage's chest as his sternum began to heal, growing back very slowly. The huge loss shattered Sage's self-esteem, he was growing skinner everyday, from lack of food and the energy required for healing, but he will to live was strong even as he slept through the violent beatings by Dilandau who not only used his fists, but his sword and his powers. The Rhinestone of Life had been inside of him for so long that when Folken remove it, it infused him with healing energy that will kept him alive slowly healing all of his wounds but very slowly. And when he woke 5 days later the pain he felt was so unbearable he screamed in pain and sorrow. The 2 cat-girls approaching from the other side of the dungeon deck amidst the moaning and groaning of the other prisoners they heard the blood-curdling scream that was only matched at the coliseum. It made their hair stand on end but they firmly held their course. They reached Sage's cell that was at bowels of the ship it was also freezing cold, they shivered and saw it was unguarded as well as unlocked. He was presumed dead, like it mattered now right?

"Well here we go." One of them said as she pushed open the door the combined smell of sweat, blood, and Sage's Tyger form was nearly unbearable. They dismissed the stench and soon found themselves near Sage's body they proceeded to unlock his shackles.

"Well, well, well. It seems Sage has some fans." Dilandau said blocking the entrance his sword drawn. The two girls whimpered in fear as he cornered them in farthest corner.

"All traitors will die!" He said as he raised his sword. Sage was awake and could not, would not stand for this. He slowly climbed to his feet enraged by Dilandau cruelty he roared.

"No!" A white ki-flame surrounded his body and illuminated the horror that had been done to him. His chest was mostly healed, though the muscles were still exposed, skinny as a Jew in concentration camp, burned, cut, nearly bald, and bruised beyond recognition. Covered in dried blood, dirt, sand, and grime so much of it, in fact, you couldn't tell what color his skin was. The girls gasped in horror. His eyes were locked on Dilandau, a new fire burning in them, his fists clenched, muscles taunt, the veins in his temples sticking out.

"And what are you going to do about it?" he asked approaching him smirking "Your not really in a position to stop me."

Sage smirked and said.

"This." He threw and roared with all his might embracing this new energy that coursed trough his veins.

"HHHHHHHHHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" His pupils vanished as the white ki-flame turned yellow and the remaining hair on his head flew up, spiking. Dilandau laughed.

"You like a idiot! Ha-ha!" while Dilandau continued laughing, Sage's hair re-grew till it was about shoulder length and spiked up to join the rest, and all of the muscles on his body expanded doubling in size making him look more fearsome. Dilandau stopped laughing.

Sage growled deeply and blasted towards Dilandau, making a slanted crater where he was standing, when he reached the end of the chains, he didn't stop tearing the chains from the wall, and nailed Dilandau with his right fist driving him through his cell door and into the floor sliding for several feet, face bloody and unconscious. Sage breathed deeply, his ki-flame turning back to white, pupils returning, and walked back to two girls cowering in the corner. They looked up and saw Sage standing in front of them arms crossed.

"Well are you going to get up or what?" He said holding out his hands.

"Yea thanks, god your hands are like ice!" The blonde one said grabbing his hand.

"We owe you one. Jeez your hands are freezing you must be frozen to death. " The other one grabbing his hand as well.

"Now that you mention it is a little nippy in here. Let us vacate before sleeping beauty over there wakes up." He pulled them both up and got a good look at whom he had saved, he gasped.

"You're the dancers from the coliseum!" They nodded and gave a little twirl letting Sage check them out.

"My name is Naria and this is my best friend Eriya." Naria said pointing to her companion.

Damn, they're even more beautiful up close. He thought out loud. He blushed causing them both to blush.

"And you are Sage, I presume?" Naria asked. He nodded and swayed a little bit, putting his hand on the wall, panting, and the transformation had taking its toll, draining his nonexistent energy.

"Yeah. Good night."

"Huh?" And without any warning his eyes rolled back in his head and he fell, his white ki-flame disappearing, to the ground with a thud, restoring the room to darkness, he was out cold. Naria went and got a stretcher; they loaded Sage's body, covered it, and told the main dungeon guard that Sage was dead and they were taking him to the morgue. He didn't know where that was, nor did he check to see if Sage was really dead, lucky them so they headed to their room. The door to their quarters slid open and they quickly rushed inside carefully set the stretcher down, Naria took the cover off of him and gasped in horror because the amount of energy that Sage used had left him in a near death state (once again). Eriya spun the couch around so if anyone followed them when their door opened they wouldn't see Sage, because that would be bad. (No Duh.) Naria and Eriya then carefully picked Sage up and took him in to the bathroom, which was part hot spring, part shower, which was rather odd. They gingerly dipped Sage's bloody body into the lukewarm water letting him submerge on his exhale and pulling his head back up quickly, Naria set a folded towel behind Sage's neck and laid his head back on it. They just let him soak for about 30 min. When they came back to check on him, the water was funked out.

"Man that is nasty. Drain it." Eriya said pulling Sage out of the water. Naria walked over and hit a panel on the wall, and the water started to drain.

"Draining." After they refilled it, they put him back in now crystal clear water, and jumped in as well. They stripped Sage of his dirty clothes and carefully scrubbed him clean. When they were finished they pulled him back out, dried him off, and dipping bandages in ointment; they wrapped him tightly, from head to toe, in several layers of bandages, except for his nose. They put a loincloth on him to cover his manhood. They laid him on the couch and covered him with as many blankets as they could allow. They looked at him with awe.

"Will he be alright?" Naria asked Eriya.

"I'm not sure we've done everything we can. It's up to him now." Eriya responded. "I'll get our clan's shaman to look at him later." With that they left him, went to the bedroom, closed the door behind them, and went to bed. (Switching back to 1st person now that I'm not dead.) When I woke up I still couldn't see but the throbbing pain I felt was normal to me now. I was warm for once that's what really freaked me out. I sat up, the blankets fell off of my upper body, and I inhaled deeply the exotic smell told me that I was defiantly not in the dungeon anymore. I felt extremely weak so I laid back down pulling the blankets back up and over my upper body up to my neck. I heard the door open with hiss, voices, the thud of shoes hitting the floor, and soft footsteps coming my direction. Uh-oh. I didn't know who it was so I started to panic. But then I heard.

"Good thing I got that lock." Eriya said I relaxed.

"Why?" A different feminine voice I tensed up again and began to sweat.

"We have a guest. Do you want to see him?" Naria said and I sighed roughly. Damn it Naria.

"Sure." The new voice chirped. Oh great. I heard the door close and them approach chattering like happy birds.

"Let me open the blinds so you see him." Naria said I winced, as it got really bright.

"There that's better." Not for me. I heard a couple of gasps come from the 3rd lady.

"What happened?" She asked. 'Please don't tell her. Please don't tell her. Please don't tell her.' I prayed.

"We don't know we found him like this in the deepest, darkest part of the dungeon." Eriya said firmly. I heard footsteps come closer to me.

"I wonder if he's packing heat if you know what I mean." The 3rd lady asked.

"Huh?" I raised my eyebrows and felt the blankets start to lift off of me.

"Leave him alone." Naria said finally I heaved a sigh of relief.

"You seen it, is it big, small, oblong, what?" The 3rd female pleaded. I've had enough of this.

"Enough!" I growled. "You will not see anything of mine."

"And who are you to tell me what I can and can not see?" the 3rd female sarcastically snapped back. I reached up grabbed the bandages that covered my eyes and ripped them off revealing just my eyes. The 3rd female looked like a total slut, I mean Naria and Eriya looked good but I saw in their eyes they still held their heads up high with the honor of whatever clan they originated from and kept their dignity, but I saw in the 3rd female's eyes, she disposed of her honor and self-respect a long time ago. She was attractive and all, nearly falling out of her outfit but she looks like the type of girl that everybody got a piece of, and passed it on, if you know what I mean.

"I am Nightstryker." I was disgusted and aroused in the same instant, but I was still polite.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure, and you are?"

"Humph. Out of your league." She spun around I checked out of course, I'm a guy what do you expect, it would be rude mot to, anyway I watched her hips bob back and forth and she headed to the door almost hypnotized. She put on her shoes, turned around and said coldly.

"I'll see you later." And with that she left. I looked to see Naria looked a stunned

"What was that all about?" I sat up.