New Blood
by Saber Alexander McConnell
Rated PG13

CHAPTER 11: Into the Fray

The world went gray. For just a moment, Nohano was convinced he was dead; how could he not be? The man with the wolfish armor, the one who moved too fast to react to was attacking him, with him half-pinned on the ground. But he wasn't dead, and all he could see was a strange, gray fog, a fog that had no moisture in it. He heard Killian make a sound of surprise, and a curse in Chinese or Japanese or something from one of their attackers.

Nohano clenched his teeth, contorting around to kick out at the woman who still had a hold of his hair. He felt his metal-booted feet hit, and with a clang of metal, the woman fell backwards.

"Run!" urged a scared, young voice very close to his ear, a voice that was neither Killian's nor Amaya's. "Grab hold, keep close!"

A gray-gauntleted hand shot out to grasp Nohano's, and he grabbed it, staggering to his feet and snatching his helmet from the ground. He heard a hissed command in the Oriental language, and felt the form of one of their attackers shoot past him, but it was clear Nohano and the boy couldn't be seen—and their sound must be being distorted, too!

"Killian!" he hissed, but the person who'd just saved Nohano had already grabbed him, too. And then they were running, running through the gray fog. The newcomer seemed to have no problems running through it, and Nohano realized he was one of them—another Ronin.

The three boys ran for at least five minutes, the fog dissipating as they approached what Nohano recognized as the edge of the fairegrounds. "There!" Nohano gasped, desperate to catch his breath. He gestured to a half-collapsed tent that had been knocked away from the general chaos. A quick look around told Nohano that nearly everyone had fled the faire—those who still could. He felt another surge of fury at the deaths, and sorrow for their families.

As they ducked inside the deserted canvas tent, Nohano got a good look at his rescuer. It was a boy about his age, though he had obviously managed to summon his own full armor, because he was covered from head to toe in gray. The armor had a distinctly Samurai look about it, from the overlapping plated guards on the legs to the helmet with two horn/blade things sticking out of the sides. A short cape hung behind him.

The boy took his helmet off, and Nohano was not too surprised to see red hair and bright green eyes. It was the boy he'd dreamed of before, the one whose parents had fought, trying to get him to take sides.

Nohano couldn't do anything else. He stepped forward the hugged the boy. "I owe you," he said. It was all he said, but his gratitude was apparent. The boy hesitated a moment before returning the grateful gesture, and they took a step back from each other.

"Anytime," said the boy shakily. "I'm Xander, but call me Xan."

"Nohano."

"I'm Killian—and what Nohano said, it goes double for me." Killian shook hands, putting both hands over Xan's for a moment.

"I knew I had to be here for a reason," said Xan, sounding a little shaky. "I dunno who these freaks are, but they're tied with this damned armor, aren't they?"

Nohano nodded tiredly.

"We need to get out of here," said Killian. "We're no match for these guys. They've got us outnumbered and outskilled." He turned suddenly to Xan, who ran a hand through his short hair. "Do you know anything about fighting these filthy, bloody bastards?" Killian didn't curse all too often, but when he did, he was downright vicious about it.

"No," said Xan. "Never even took karate or anything. I just got thrown into this thing, neck-deep."

Killian and Nohano exchanged knowing looks; they could both sympathize!

"We gotta find Amaya," said Nohano, and explained to Xan that she was another of their group. "We scattered when they attacked. They don't know about her yet, but..." He trailed off, shaking his head. "Killian's right, we gotta get out of here."

"Okay," said Xan. "Let's...let's get outta here I guess. This damned place is like a maze...where would she be?"

"We work here, we know our way," said Nohano. "The problem is, there are about a million places to hide...if she's even still...here." "Here" wasn't the word he was going to say, Nohano realized. He had been about to say "still alive."

---

The Toyota Cyclone died, just as it reached the parking lot of the Renaissance Faire. Scowling darkly, Suisei left the car, popping the hood to peer under it. Oddly enough it seemed to be fine in all aspects, and while not a brand-new vehicle, it was in very good condition. Surely the cross-country trip hadn't worn it down so badly!

Little Tarun also hopped out of the vehicle, needing no excuse to escape it. "Look," he said, pointing to the fairegrounds.

Sounds of a violent fight came from within, and smoke rose from several fires. Suisei caught sight of the blast from a laser weapon, and a scream from someone who sounded like they'd been badly hurt. He took a deep breath.

"We gotta go in and help," Tarun said decisively, though the look on his face was more fearful than determined, and he stayed close to Suisei's leg.

"Yes," said Suisei, looking down apprehensively at the boy. "Look...armor up now, okay?" The kid had managed to find out not only how to call his armor, but even some of its abilities. Suisei still didn't know what his was supposed to do, much less being able to get the entire enchilada to work.

"Okay." Tarun looked upwards and scowled, sticking his tongue out at the dark clouds obscuring the sun. They'd figured out that his armor was closely associated with the daytime, always working best when it was bright and warm. It made a lot of sense; Tarun didn't like the dark, and his favorite activity was running around outside, enjoying the sunlight. Still, he could get the armor on when it was dark, just so long as it was a daylight hour.

Suisei watched in fascination as always, as the armor sort of...adhered, as if it had come to the kid from another dimension, fitting itself around his body. Suisei couldn't tell if it looked Greek or Japanese, or some weird combination of the two, but it was made of bright, warm colors. It definitely suited the kid.

Suisei got on his own undergear, steeling himself for a fight. He was not too worried about Tarun; once he had his armor on, there wasn't anything that could catch him. But there was still danger. He wondered as he often did why someone so young had been chosen for this. But he had, and the kid had the courage, that was for certain. "Let's go, then," he said quietly. "Try to find the others, if they're here." The sound of a distant siren made Suisei curse. "And hurry!"

He realized he's used a poor choice of words when the boy took off running, faster than Suisei could ever hope to run, and was gone from sight. Giving a quick prayer for Tarun's safety, Suisei ran towards the faire.

---

Killian, Nohano, and Xan had gone across the entire faire before finding Amaya's hiding place. She looked as ruffled as the rest of them, but unhurt. "You are safe!" she exclaimed, stepping cautiously out from behind a weapons vendor's stall.

"Mostly," said Nohano quietly. "Been taking cover, mostly, like everyone else..."

"And your armor--and he--"

"I think we'd best talk later," said Killian. "For now, we've got to leave."

"It's not gonna be easy," said Xan grimly. "I've been here for a few hours, and before I came across you guys, I saw how many people they've got; ten. They've got the whole place surrounded, if we try to leave, they're gonna see us."

"We need to sneak away," said Killian. Nohano frowned, disliking the idea of slinking away after all these bastards had done. He realized it was the sanest choice, but that didn't mean he wanted to do it.

"I can conceal us, but I use gray fog," Xan continued. "It keeps them from seeing us as individuals so they can't attack, but the fog itself, they'll see."

Nohano turned suddenly to him, frowning in confusion. "That wolf dude--he was this close to killing me." He held his white-clad fingers about an inch apart. "How'd you stop it?"

Xan smiled a little. "I can also throw up a shield--I've had a lot of time to practice this stuff."

"So what do we do?" asked Killian. "We're a little conspicuous in this stuff--especially you two." He looked pointedly at the bright red armor that Nohano sported and the bulky gray metal that covered Xan. "And at least one of them knows me and Nohano by sight."

"Why make it easy for them, though?" said Xan, frowning uncertainly. "Take off the armor and you'd blend in, right? Well if you didn't get too close to them. The only thing is, that if they did see us, we'd be without any protection."

"They sense the armor spheres," said Amaya. "But they must be near, I think, to know who has it. I have another idea. They have armor like ours. It need energy, as ours. They use their powers a lot today. If they do it too much..."

"They'll either drop out cold or have to recharge?" said Killian hopefully.

Amaya nodded.

"Okay, that's it, then," said Nohano. "We just have to stay alive, and try to make sure they don't...don't hurt anyone else...long enough to outlast them. We should try and make them expend as much energy as possible."

"But how?" asked Killian.

"I know!"

Everyone jumped and spun around; the voice had not come from one of them, and sounded extremely young. Nohano blinked at the sight of a small person in bright yellow armor, bouncing in place as if he was about to take off into outer space. The young Ronin he'd seen in the hangar dream? Everyone seemed a little taken aback by the strange child.

"Watch me!" the boy said with a big grin, and he took off, so fast that Nohano could barely see him.

"The hell," he uttered, stepping out a little bit to watch what happened. His initial alarm for the boy's safety was replaced with utter astonishment as the kid ran right up to one of the warriors that Nohano didn't recognize, stopped, and kicked him right in the seat of his armor. The man let out a snarl of rage and turned, an ancient-looking spear in his hands, but the boy laughed and ran off, meters away before the man had even completely turned around. The warlord let a curse that sounded to Nohano to be Spanish or Italian, and spun around, looking for the boy.

"That kid's got guts," said Killian wonderingly.

"The kid's got no sanity in his head!" said Nohano.

"He's got the right idea," said Amaya.

"He does," said Nohano with an amazed laugh. He looked down to his helmet and put it on, feeling oddly safer once it rested securely on his head. "All right, take his lead. Harass them, try not to get caught by more than one at once. Throw rocks, wood, anything you can find--attack from a distance. Put them on the defensive." He hesitated a moment before looking backwards to see the hilts of two swords sticking up behind his armor. After a few moments worth of contortion, he managed to get them out of their sheaths, and held them out to Amaya.

"What's this?" she said, shocked. "They are yours, for the armor of Wildfire."

"I know," said Nohano, pushing the hilts into her hands. "But I don't know how to use them, and you do. I can learn later. For now, use them--see if you can't do some damage to the miserable bastards."

She frowned slightly, but took the blades, not able to dispute the logic. But she still did not seem like she thought it was a good idea. Nohano didn't understand why; he certainly couldn't use the blasted things! "Okay guys...let's go. We might not have the skill they have in fighting, but we're kids--when it comes to annoying people, we can't be beat."

That surprised a laugh out of everyone, and Nohano could actually feel the general level of fear sink. He grinned as Xan replaced his own helmet, and the others seemed to be steeling themselves for the assault...such as it was.

A moment later, the fairegrounds were a flurry of activity and confusion. The yellow-clad kid was still racing around like a crazed squirrel, smacking the invaders as he passed, or pausing long enough to hurl something at them with what Nohano recognized as an old-fashioned sling. The ammunition he threw, however, was anything but old-fashioned; charged either with electricity or magic, the zapped anything they came into contact with. The invading warriors were furious, but unable to catch the boy.

"Come on!" said Nohano, charging back out into the compound. He now saw what Xan had described; the whole area was surrounded by them, all in a wide circle. Well. They wanted to make a fight of it...well...Nohano would oblige! But he was gonna fight by his rules.

The young Ronin Warriors scattered into the fray.

Nohano stooped to grab up a solid dagger from the ground, knocked from a vendor's stall, and hurled it as hard as he could at a nearby armored figure. There was a young-sounding yell of startlement, and for a moment, Nohano was afraid he'd attacked one of the undiscovered Ronin, but when the kid turned around, Nohano did not recognize him.

The boy, who looked even younger than Nohano, growled and snapped a crossbow up to his shoulder. Nohano flung himself to the side, the crossbow bolt whizzing past his head. He laughed, purely to piss the kid off, and gave him the finger.

The kid was obviously American, because he recognized the insult, and ran at Nohano. "Do that again, you prick!" he challenged.

Nohano flipped him off again and darted into one of the many fires that raged around the compound, letting a more genuine laugh at the invigorating jolt of energy it gave him. 'This is cool,' he thought dizzily as he leapt out of the flames. 'This is scary as hell, but cool!'

The kid had been taken aback by the seemingly suicidal move, but when Nohano leapt out, he narrowed his eyes. "Cute move," he growled, raising his weapon once more. Nohano ducked back into the fire, using it for concealment as the boy shot at him once more. Nohano yelled in alarm as the arrow thunked into his armor, not quite piercing to his skin, but knocking him backwards. He staggered, dizzied, by a peculiar sensation; an unreal gloom descended on him, any enjoyment he'd felt gone in less than a second. Powers--his powers--were these the kid's powers?

Nohano's hesitation almost cost him. He still stood in the fire, but had been still long enough for the kid to draw a bead on him with the crossbow, even if he couldn't personally pursue him into the flames. Nohano yelled in pain as a second arrow hit him. This one hitting him in the side, where his armor wasn't as thick. He looked down in shock, then turned to the kid, before taking off away from the flames.

"Not so funny now, is it?" the kid yelled gleefully, sprinting at him. Once again, Nohano found himself fleeing for cover.

---

It had not been a long run for Rashida and Demetrius to the fairegrounds, but they had run full speed. When they arrived, they were both weak with exhaustion, but they would not be able to rest. Rashida stopped just outside the main commotion, calling out a word foreign to her. Quick with puzzles and good with research, Rashida had been able to figure out how to call the armor without any outside help from her element. The soft green armor, now familiar and comforting to her, coalesced around her body, covering every part of her except for part of her face.

She looked to Demetrius, who had removed his glasses and also armored up, though his armor was far bulkier than hers was. Demetrius was the one who had been able to figure out their elements, causing her to be able to determine the armors' names. Her armor was light and wisdom; his strength and stone. Neither of them had been too surprised.

The armor gave the weary youths a surge of energy, and they ran towards the melee.

As the fight came into full view, Rashida stopped and stared, just for a moment. She gazed at the scene, unable to make any sense of it. She understood there was a group of Ronin Warriors below, the ones she and Demetrius had sought for weeks, but what they were doing could not be called fighting. They ran and dodged, hid and ran some more, taunting and pestering, but never really fighting if they could help it. There was a small one down there, moving with a speed that should not be possible, and a kid in red armor fighting with one of the adults from the Dynasty. A girl in sub-armor fought with two katana, though Rashida couldn't figure where she'd gotten them--possibly from one of the many booths that had been abandoned and knocked over all over the place.

Those who did fight did not seem to know how to do it very well, except for the girl, and Rashida suddenly understood what they were doing. None of the Ronin used the powers of their armor except for the child...but the evil ones did. The warlords would lose power before the Ronin would!

She watched one of the warlords spin to face the small one in yellow armor, snarling something in Japanese, and casting a torrent of dark lightning at the kid. Everything in the immediate area darkened as if it were night, and there was a scream of either fear or pain from the boy, whom Rashida could no longer see. The girl with the swords ran to his aid, disappearing confidently into the darkness, and the sounds of a battle came from within.

A third figure stood nearer to her and Demetrius, in dark blue sub-armor, and she realized it was another Ronin. He was a tall boy with long, black hair, looking like he came from Japan. She caught his eye, and they nodded to one another, each recognizing the other as an ally.

Demetrius tapped her on the shoulder, nodding to their left and to their right. Several of the Dynasty warriors fought, but there were three or four who'd been kept on the sidelines, perhaps to prevent escape, or as backup. Rashida smiled, nodding her head, and she and Demetrius separated from each other, each stealthily approaching one of the outer guards. Demetrius had taken the weapon from his back, assembling the three nunchaku-like parts to make a metal staff, bladed at each end. Rashida's weapon was a longsword, which she had practiced with almost constantly for the past two weeks.

She looked towards the tall boy, but he had already gotten the idea, edging their way. She didn't know how much help he could be if he didn't know how to use his armor yet, but they could use all the help they could get!

With a sudden yell, Demetrius charged the nearest Dynasty fighter, a burly Oriental man in bear-like armor. He turned, startled, as Demetrius knocked into him, sending him asprawl in the dirt. The Oriental man laughed, amazingly, whipping out a weapon that looked like a mutated morningstar, and sent the weight at the end towards Demetrius's head.

Demetrius dodged aside, raising his metal staff to catch the weapon, tightening his grip as the Oriental man yanked backwards with the chain, nearly snatching the weapon from Demetrius's hand.

The other perimeter guards, lured by the commotion, ran to help. Rashida held back, unnoticed by them, until she stuck out her foot, sending one of them sprawling in the dirt. From that moment, they'd joined in the battle.

The Twilight and Day armors.

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