New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

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DISCLAIMER

It's actually kinda sad that I need this, but I figured I would cover my tail end.

None of this stuff is mine! Any stories I write of copyrighted characters are fanfiction. I hold no claims to them, they are the properties of those who hold the copyrights and trademarks, and whatnot. And I am neither making nor trying to make any money or earnings of any kind from my stories. They are just for my enjoyment and the enjoyment for those who may happen to read them.

I (and I think most fanfiction artists) write fanfiction because they love the genre about which they write, and want to create their own stories with the characters that have become old friends to them. They like to visit the world more often and go to more places than they can reading the books or watching the show or movie. That's why I write them. Because I like them.

Anyway.

Again, I claim none of it as my own except those characters that I created that are not a part of the original genre. My custom ThunderCats characters are mine and no one else's. My custom Legend of Zelda characters are mine...and etc. etc.. Anyone that wants to use my original characters must gain my permission.

Anyone who wants to link to or post my stories on their pages are quite welcome, so long as they credit me and link to my story or main page.

CHAPTER 1: Dark Stirrings

The land was bleak and featureless, the sky dark and hazy. The pale sun gave plenty of warmth, but no light; one could see the planets orbiting it at its zenith, and watch the stars rise and set. Mountains rose on the horizon, as stark and blank as the lowlands, and gave little relief to the austere landscape.

Beyond the mountains lay a sprawling ruins, crumbling walls and stones that had once been a magnificent palace—a titanic pagoda, dark and threatening, a testimony to its lord. Surrounding the main ruins were the remains of soldiers; barracks and various other functional buildings, all as deserted as the main fortress.

No one stirred.

Hundreds of miles away, surrounded by sheer cliffs and angular mountains, a wide valley lay. Sheltered from storms and prying eyes, a new building rose, a near carbon copy of the ruins that lay so far away. Within an inner chamber, a spectral figure rested.

No one knew his right name, nor where he had come from. No one even knew whether or not he had once been human. All knew him as Arago—or Talpa, and before the final defeat, his name had once caused fear by its very mention.

It would be so once again.

Talpa decided that he would have to bide his time, waiting until his current enemies were gone from the earth, letting the outside world believe he had been defeated forever. It rankled his pride, but it was a necessary evil; the Ronin Warriors were too big a thorn to remove. He had taken his remaining forces and his warlords, and retreated to this desolate valley. Nether Spirits and the remaining spirit-robotic soldiers had begun rebuilding Talpa's palace, taking only a few short years to do so. Talpa recovered from his battles, grateful that his defeat had not robbed him of the physical body he had been able to create. He was weak, yes, but not crippled. And so he planned.

The ghostly figure stared from his window, watching his three most loyal fighters training. He needed to make some changes in their training, and in how they worked together. They could make a formidable team...when they worked together. But the underlying enmity, the back-stabbing and constant bickering, that was a grave weakness. Talpa knew that the fault was partly his, though he'd never admit it. He knew that his disdain of them, his outward contempt, and sometimes deliberate attempts to set them to competing for his favor all contributed. He would have to make a minor change. He could never change how he regarded his underlings, or they would never fear him...never crave his approval. But he would no longer set them against each other. He would set a rigid ranking system that they would abide by.

What caused this tremendous decision were the Ronin Warriors themselves. Talpa knew something of their secrets, how they could speak with one another through their minds alone, how they worked as cogs in a well-made machine. He saw how much more powerful they were as a group, a group who trusted one another enough to share their inner secrets, who cared for one another enough that each was willing to give his life to save another's. He did not fool himself into thinking that his warlords would grow to view one another as brothers any time soon...but certainly their hatred could be blunted.

At first, he did nothing except to set them to their training sessions, letting them get out their aggressions through their sparring. But then he gathered them in his receiving chamber and said this:

"Your enmity towards one another will cease. Now." All three of them blinked and glanced quickly at the others before turning their gazes back onto Talpa. "Kale, you will lead."

He had predicted the reaction to this; Kale smiled, satisfied, and knelt, with respectful thanks. Dais's eyes narrowed in displeasure, but he was not so blunt as Sekhmet, whose expression was that of fury. "Him, Master! He will lead u--"

Talpa did not allow him to finish; he said nothing, only cast out his hand, enfolding Sekhmet with a dark web of energy. He let out a screech of pain and vanished. Dais's narrowed eyes widened in surprise, and he turned cautiously back towards Dais. Kale, still kneeling, managed to control his own reaction. They were used to Talpa's methods of control and punishment, but he had never been quite so swift or unforgiving about it.

Talpa looked to Dais, who resisted the urge to take a step back. "Do you have an objection to my decision, Dais?"

Dais shook his head, bowing briefly, as he replied. "No, master," he said quietly. "None."

Talpa nodded his head, sitting back in his throne. "Rise, Kale. Listen to me. You will learn to work together, and you will learn now. I will tell Sekhmet this same thing; anyone protesting my orders will get the same treatment Sekhmet has gotten. I intend to add to your ranks in time, and build a larger force to fight—you three will lead over them, but if you insist on bickering among yourself, you are not fit to lead."

"Yes, Master," Dais and Kale murmured in unison, standing side by side, both looking slightly uneasy.

"You may leave." They did, looking a little stunned, and Talpa watched them until they were out the door. He smiled a little—they'd either learn, or they'd be replaced.

He let Sekhmet out of the dungeon a few hours later, and received his exhausted apology—enduring the repeated attacks of the Nether spirits was not exactly a pleasant ordeal, and it was the best form of discipline Talpa had at his disposal. The spirits not only inflicted pain, but poured their Dark energy into their victims. In the case of Talpa's warlords, he made their desire to do evil, their bond to the Nether Realm stronger. Sekhmet did not openly protest his decisions again.

Over the next few weeks, Talpa became more ruthless than ever in his discipline, tolerating no protests or dissent, and he began to see a change. His warlords cared nothing for him, he was sure of it; they only desired his favor, and the power he could give them. However he made it clear that any attempts to increase their station on their own, scorning Talpa's own decisions of who was fit to lead, would earn them disgrace and chastisement.

After a few sessions in Talpa's dungeons, any complaints ceased completely, and any arguing among the warlords was done out of Talpa's range of hearing. Talpa insisted they continue to train, keeping themselves and their abilities at peak form. He was quick to criticize, very slow to praise, and expected their best at all times. Their efforts to perform to Talpa's standards gave them a common goal, common ground, and they began to work as a unit—Talpa could see it in how they executed their attacks, and how they pulled their punches when they sparred instead of trying to hurt one another. He saw Sekhmet grin when Dais hit a dozen targets within seconds with his scythes, noticed how Kale began to act more as a commander than a usurper, using encouragement and reprimands to get the best out of the other two.

Talpa was inordinately pleased—he had unified his warlords, at the same time solidifying their fear and awe of him..

The years passed, until nearly a decade had gone by. Endlessly fueled by Dark energy, Talpa had begun building up his mechanical armies once more, even creating a group of soldiers whose sole purpose was to create the fighters. Freed of this task, Talpa focused his energies into watching the outside world, watching the passing of the Ronin, and the plans and plots of the mortals. He oversaw his warlords' training and the rebuilding of his Dynasty.

Finally the time came. It was time to increase the warlords' ranks; those who remained, Sekhmet, Dais, and Kale, were powerful warriors, their numbers were too small. Even with the hordes of mechanical soldiers, even with the powers he and his warlords possessed, they were not enough for Talpa's goals. He would need to bring more here...train them...foster their loyalty.

Dais, Sekhmet, and Kale had solidified into a single force, beginning to learn the lesson that the Ronin already knew. The warlords were human, and though their souls were twisted, they were still there—they realized that brotherhood and camaraderie were not weaknesses, but strengths, so long as it was directed in the right way. They were ready for more responsibility.

For the first time in more than ten years, the Dynasty went forth into the mortal realm, but they did not travel there to attack; they were there to recruit.

---

In the perpetual motion machine that was Tokyo, lived a woman named Jin Tanaka, a woman both well-respected and infamous. She owned one of the biggest companies in Japan, and was well-known for her intelligence and business skills. That was her "outside face", the face she presented to the public and her employees.

However she had another face, her infamous one. This face had no name, in fact no one knew that both faces belonged to the same woman. Her notoriety came from the Yakuza, Japanese organized crime. Her brains and skill were far more useful in her adopted clan, where her duties were comprised mostly of smuggling and "taking care" of those her clan deigned threats to the organization. She was known throughout the Yakuza for her ruthlessness and sadistic streak. There were not many women in the Yakuza, much less women who were so well-revered, but Jin Tanaka was no ordinary woman.

The year was 2013, in the spring. Jin Tanaka's dreams had been strange of late, filled with frightening landscapes and ancient battles. A demonic figure, one with red eyes and antiquated armor, dominated these dreams, but Jin Tanaka did not fear him. She knew, somehow, that these dreams were more than mere visions. They were real, somehow, and she knew she would someday meet the demon who haunted them.

So when the skies suddenly clouded over the city as she stood outside her home, when the sky turned an ominous green, she was not surprised; it was just like her dreams. When three men in armor approached her, she knew they had been sent by the demon figure, and when they spoke to her, telling her of the power she could have...she was ready with an answer.

From his palace in the Nether Realm, Talpa watched, pleased. She would accept, he had already known that. It had taken quite a while to find someone in Japan who would be worthy to serve Talpa, but his warlords had tracked her down, and now...

She would be his new Warlord of Cruelty. The Loyalty armor was gone, taken when Anubis defected, but Talpa had always known he would have to create new armor, armor that would fit his new warlords.

Talpa met the woman in his audience chamber, sitting in the throne he had constructed. His warlords escorted her in, Dais and Sekhmet hanging back, and Kale approaching at the woman's side. Kale introduced Talpa to the woman, then said, "This is Jin Tanaka, Master."

The woman regarded him for a moment, and then bent in a respectful bow. Talpa nodded his head briefly in return. "Welcome, Jin Tanaka" he said, his voice courteous and persuasive.

Jin Tanaka seemed to have no problem understanding his archaic speech, and bowed once more, briefly. "Thank you, Talpa-san," she replied.

Customs were not being followed in an exact manner, but Talpa did not care; she showed respect, and his warlords had obviously told her of him. He looked up briefly to nod his acknowledgement to them, then turned back to the woman. "I assume my warlords have told you who I am?"

"Yes," said Tanaka. "They have told me of your leadership here, and some of your goals. Your manner of discipline, and your expectations." She did not mention they'd said they were recruiting or that she was interested; for one it would be impolite, and for another, it was far too obvious. She wouldn't be here if she wasn't interested.

"I have heard much of you," said Talpa, and the woman bowed in appreciative acknowledgement. "I seek those who will join my cause and swear allegiance to me." He smiled, a ghastly sight, but the woman did not flinch. "You need not decide now. I invite you to stay in my palace for a few days, during which I will tell you of what I require from my warlords, and you may make your decision then. If you decline, you will be returned to your home." Not entirely true. He may or may not decide to let her go, but not without wiping her memory of this place first.

Jin did not need the extra days to decide, but she graciously accepted the invitation anyway. Perhaps it would be wise, after all, to find out as much as she could. When Talpa told her that Kale would show her to a room she could use, she bowed and thanked him several times.

Talpa watched her leave with Kale, and turned to Dais and Sekhmet, allowing himself another ghoulish grin. "Well done," he murmured. "The more we find like her, the more powerful we will be."

"Thank you, Master," said Sekhmet, clenching his fist and narrowing his eyes in anticipation. "There's nothing to stop us this time, Master. Nothing."

"We will find others," said Dais confidently.

"Do not limit yourself to Japan," said Talpa. "Find those who will best serve my purposes. There are several powers in the world, and if I were to take control of them all...well, that is for the future. For now...we prepare." There was silence for several moments, before Talpa dismissed Dais and Sekhmet. Talpa himself retired to his chambers.

As expected, Jin Tanaka joined their ranks three days later, and knelt before him to swear her allegiance, becoming his warlord of Cruelty. Talpa gave her a set of non-mystical, working armor and began her battle training; he would watch her fighting style and get to know her mind, and craft a set of armor that would truly suit her.

Thus began his new empire.

---

In 2016, near the southernmost coast of China, a twenty-three year old man named Tai Shuang was recruited into Talpa's ranks, becoming the Warlord of Destruction, true to his personality. In 2017, Cade Taylor came from America, a thirteen year old boy with genius intelligence, the Warlord of Despair. Heath Jenkins, the eldest of the new group at thirty, was found in England in 2021, Warlord of Fear.

Several years passed after finding Heath Jenkins. Talpa did not want to acquire his warlords so quickly; he wanted them to have time to grow accustomed to one another, and to begin to form the bonds that Kale, Sekhmet, and Dais had learned to form. Those three had known one another for hundreds of years...but these three were practically infants. They would need far more time to come together than ten years. He also wanted time for them to get a taste of his discipline and punishment.

Thus far, Talpa was pleased. His new warlords had been granted their immortality, choosing not to age beyond their current years, and Talpa was astonished at how quickly they adjusted. This was especially so for Cade and Heath; not only did they now live in an entirely separate dimension, but within a completely different culture. The language barrier was no great difficulty; Talpa had the power to make himself and his warlords understood, and his new recruits were learning Japanese quite well.

Jin Tanaka was a fierce warrior. She had come to Talpa with plenty of martial arts skills, and had learned to fight with katana and throwing stars quite quickly. She was grim and humorless, but she both showed and was worthy of respect. She was courteous, unless one of the others offended her, then she let her feelings be known with her sharp tongue, and sometimes her sharp sword, within the bounds that Talpa allowed.

Tai Shuang was a wild fighter, a man who seemed half-feral even in his physical appearance. When he fought, he caused great damage, as much as possible. He cared little for the pain of his victims, but if he could break something—or someone--he was happy. His favorite weapon came from his native China: a heavy weight on the end of a long chain. It could be used either as a morningstar, or as a sort of bolas. He was quite skilled with the weapon from the beginning. As violent as he was, Talpa feared he would not get along well with his fighting mates, but he did surprisingly well. The others seemed fairly fond of him, almost as one might feel towards a pet. Surprisingly, Shuang did not seem to mind, preferring his feral ways to more civilized behavior. Sometimes his apparent lack of humanity impressed even Sekhmet, whose own humanity was less that the others'.

Heath Jenkins was the weakest fighter, and the only one thus far with no battle training at all. He was being trained by Kale, mostly, who was the best teacher among Talpa's higher warlords. They'd not yet found a weapon that suited Heath, but Talpa knew they would, eventually. What Heath was good at was intimidation; he was slim, though very tall, and when he allowed rage to show on his face, he was frightening. Even without armor, he seemed to gather energy from such fear. He had the best control of his own emotions, beyond Jin Tanaka, and did not speak often.

Cade Taylor was the one Talpa understood the least. He did not understand children well, and Cade was quite young; at first Talpa had been perplexed and a little angry that his warlords had brought back a boy who would never grow into adulthood, until the young teenager had displayed his great intelligence. Cade had not only shown the proper Japanese protocols when meeting Talpa, he had used the ancient protocols. He knew both the current and ancient forms of Japanese, as well as a dozen other languages. There were very few questions of knowledge that the boy could not answer, and no logic problem cast before him had gone unsolved. When Cade finally demonstrated his skill with a crossbow, Talpa's faith in his warlords had been restored.

The foreigners had been rude at first—inadvertently sometimes, quite deliberately others—but quickly learned otherwise after meeting the Nether Spirits. Shuang seemed to be the most difficult to tame into respect—he had the heart of a savage and did not conform easily. But even a beast could be taught, Talpa thought.

They were all so very different. Sometimes it seemed as if they would never be a cohesive team. Jin's grim mask would confound the others, or Cade's immaturity would annoy someone (usually Dais or Heath). Shuang had even less patience than Talpa did, and Heath's ego was not always under his control. Cade and Shuang fought constantly. At first Talpa had been extremely displeased, before Kale pointed out that the fighting was not detrimental to the team; they enjoyed fighting, much as two brothers. Talpa observed the pair for several days, and when he had to discipline Shuang for standing up to him on Cade's behalf, his fears about their fighting were assuaged.

"They will be a team, Master" said Kale once when reporting to Talpa. "It will take them time and discipline, as with us, but they improve with every week that passes."

"I hope so," said Talpa in a low voice, giving Kale a pointed look. "For your sake."

"They will, Master. I promise."

"Very well. Leave, then." In truth, Talpa was happy with the new warlords' progress, and glancing once outside his window to his growing realm, Talpa retired to his chambers.

---

Weeks, and then months passed. A year went by since Heath Jenkins had been recruited, and there were far less incidences of discord among the lesser warlords. They began to fall more easily into their role beneath their leaders, and learned to fight as a unit. Cade and Shuang had surprisingly become close, like brothers, and could often be seen sparring, or even just talking, or enjoying the beauty of the lands Talpa had surrounded himself with. Jin Tanaka impressed the others with her skill and ruthlessness, and it was clear she had the others' respect, even if they didn't much like her; even the elder warlords respected her abilities.

Their skill in their weaponry, from hours of practice each day, were perfected. There was rarely a time when Jin would miss her target with her shurikens, and the katana were deadly in her hands. Shuang's strength and skill grew, so that when he used his weighted chain, he hardly seemed to move, he was so fast.

Heath Jenkins was the odd one out for the longest time. His unemotional demeanor made it difficult to understand him, even for Talpa, and he had very slow in learning battle. Never managing to perfect a melee weapon, not in all the long weeks of training, the Englishman had discovered some skill, with a blowgun.

Sekhmet had come up with the idea, realizing that mainstream weapons didn't fit Heath, and wanted to try him on stranger weapons. When he found that Heath was able to use a blowgun almost without any instruction, he was pleased; with Heath's penchence for causing fear, and Sekhmet's knowledge of poisons, they could turn Heath's skill into a powerful weapon. Poisoned darts could get into small chinks in armor, could make the wearer do anything from die to attack his own friends. Heath could not have been more pleased, and often went to Sekhmet, wanting to help him with his poisons and drugs; the two began to form a surprising friendship.

Cade had no one to train him in weaponry, as Talpa's people had little knowledge of how to use a crossbow or anything like it, but training was not really needed. He practiced every day, and it was not long before he could hit anything that moved. His mistakes were fewer and farther between (though sometimes catastrophic when they occurred, such as missing his target and hitting Shuang in the backside instead...that had been a fight not easily forgotten!)

By this time Talpa had crafted their armors and imbued them with power, but he had not defined those powers; he had given the armors to the new warlords and told them that they must find what they were capable of--another lesson he had taken from the Ancient. The armor, in part, molded itself to its wearer. To Heath it gave the power of causing fear, to Cade the power of grief and despair, a powerful morale destroyer. Jin's armor was the most powerful of the new warlords; by crossing her katana, she could unleash a devastating wave of explosive energy that felt like burning shrapnel; it did no actual damage, but could incapacitate someone with pain if used right. Each armor molded well to its owner, taking advantage of their natural capabilities.

Soon, they would be ready to add to the ranks once more.

Here are the new warlords:

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