Chapter Eight. The Tides Turned
Kelly glanced on as she noticed Ryo, Rekino, Sage, Hana and Rowen were all geared up in what appeared in some sort of protective gear, stepping out of the back of the truck. She wasn't familiar with the Ronin Warriors or the Lady Ronin Guardians, so she would have to figure them out like she did with Dalton and the Knights of Sumeria.
"So, is this your official armor?" Kelly asked.
"Actually," Ryo answered, "this would be our sub armors. When things gets real serious, you will see us in our official armors."
"That's for sure." Rekino quipped.
"So, where do we start?" Dalton asked as he, Pablo and Kelly grouped with Ryo, Rekino, Sage, Hana and Rowen.
"Where ever Pablo and Kelly believe the dagger could possibly be." Hana answered.
"Over there." Pablo glanced in front of them. He pointed a bit further to that direction, "Like, way over there."
Dalton stepped to the direction Pablo was pointing towards.
"You have something against him, don't you?" Rowen asked.
"Don't ask," Kelly answered, "it's a complicated story."
"He is kinda cute." Hana gushed at Dalton. Kelly fake cough in annoyance.
"You're not wrong there, Hana." Rekino whispered to her best friend.
"Let's just keep moving along." Kelly lifted her hands as she noticed Dalton placing down his bag.
"Hard to believe this is the place where evil was released." Dalton noted.
"It's harder to believe," Kelly added, "that evil keeps bringing us back to the cabin, and this time it's not even here."
"This would be a first for us Ronin group." Sage said as he raised his hand and glanced to the rest of his team as well as Hana and Rekino.
"That's besides the point," Kelly nodded, "It's creepy being back."
"I'll bet it is." Hana quipped.
"This is the last place I saw Ruby," Kelly continued, "Two Rubies, actually."
"Two Rubies?" Rowen asked, confused.
"Then we should dig fast." Dalton suggested. "Ronin Group, keep guard."
"No problemo." Ryo retorted as Pablo, Dalton and Kelly proceeded to dig. Ryo glanced at Sage, Rowen and then at Hana and Rekino.
"Kel." Pablo spoke up as the group was digging.
"Yeah?" Kelly responded.
"I got something." Pablo announced.
"Well, dig it up!" Hana exclaimed with some enthusiasm, clapping her hands.
"Don't get too excited." Rekino retorted.
Pablo rustled through the leaves, and unearthed a deer head.
"A deer head?!" Rowen exclaimed.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Rekino added, "How cliché!"
"One thing's for sure," Pablo assured the group, "the dagger is definetly here."
-Collision-Course-
"I'm glad James brought you guys here." Ash told his new comrades, "Even though your all's armors would be something I'm not used to."
Ash was amazed seeing Kento, Josephine, Cye and Amaya with James all in their sub armors.
"A lot of things aren't new to us either," Kento replied, "especially this Deadite things."
"Trust me," Ash assured him, "I'm into more unfamiliar territory than just mystical armors."
"You being a Dad?" Josephine asked.
"Exactly."
"Why don't we play some tunes?" Kento suggested as he turned on the radio, which was playing the Joan Jett and Black Hearts song "Crimson and Clover".
"Ah!" Ash exclaimed. "Good choice there."
"I agree there," James nodded in agreement, "I hope we can talk some sense into your daughter. I have a feeling she's going to need it."
Ash pulled up to his house, "Here we are."
"Let's rock!" Kento exclaimed, determined. They got out of the car with James meeting up with them, emerging from his car before gearing up in his sub armor.
The group heard panting and sniffling.
"What is that?" Amaya asked nervously.
"I don't know." Cye answered.
Ash perked over to see his daughter Brandy talking to someone, "It's my daughter."
What took him and the others by surprise was the person Brandy was talking to.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ash demanded to the mysterious figure.
James, Cye, Amaya, Kento and Josephine all prepared for action.
"Oh, uh," the mysterious man answered, "enjoying my couch, now that I swept off all your nasty chips and shit."
Amaya cleared her throat.
"What's her deal?" the man asked.
"My friend doesn't like swearing as she's Catholic." Josephine answered.
"It's not just me being Catholic," Amaya replied, "I personally think there's other ways to express yourself besides bad language."
"Whatever." the man replied, annoyed. "I don't have time for your religious nonsense."
He faced Brandy and asked, "How about we watch it again? That'll bring a smile."
"I'm serious, Buddy." Ash was not letting up on the man.
"You actually put that on TV?" Amaya asked.
"I was about to say that." Brandy replied.
"What's wrong with..." Ash started to ask before going on, "Forget that. What the hell are you doing in my house, creep-o?"
"Enjoying the company of my granddaughter I never knew I had." the mysterious man answered.
"He's your father?" Cye asked.
"Brandy," Ash asked, "you know your grandfather's dead, right?"
"Am not."
"Is too."
"Is that even a proper sentence?" Josephine asked.
"Nope."
"What is your problem? He's fine." Brandy assured her father.
"Forget him," the grandfather told her, "Kid's got demon on the brain. So does the rest of the armored lot."
"Excuse me?" Kento replied. "What's your damn problem?!"
"Kento!" Amaya exclaimed.
"Everyone, calm down," Cye tried calming the group down, "maybe there's an explanation behind this."
"Here's the explanation," Ash told everyone, "Brandy, Ronin Warriors and Guardians, this man, your grandpa, Brock Williams, was ran over by the Delta."
"Yeah," Brandy replied, "he told me about the accident. It's amazing he survived."
"Say what?!" Josephine exclaimed.
"Exactly!" Ash nodded in agreement, "His head was squashed like a fucking watermelon!"
"Language!" Amaya exclaimed.
"Not now!"
"Uh, it'll keep more than that shitty rent-a-wreck to keep me down." "Brock" assured him.
"A demon?" Cye whispered.
"Possibly." Kento replied.
"Possibly a Deadite." James added.
Brandy stood up and faced her father, "Can you please stop, okay? This is the first time that I felt even close to normal since I met you."
"Yeah," "Brock" added, "quit being such an asshole and let us enjoy our family time."
"Good God." Kento growled.
"Kento!" Amaya exclaimed.
"Hey, Dad?" Ash faced what appeared to be his father, "Can we have a chat?"
"That boy is such a buzzkill." "Brock" muttered as he followed Ash, James, Kento, Cye, Josephine and Amaya.
-Collision-Course-
Ryo looked around along with Rekino, Hana, Sage and Rowen as Kelly, Pablo and Dalton were digging around, searching for the Kandarian dagger.
"Any luck yet?" Ryo asked.
"Does it look like it?" Kelly replied with her own question.
"We found everything but the dagger." Pablo answered.
"Still think we're getting warm?" Dalton asked.
"I hope so," Hana answered, "This is getting me goosebumps."
"I couldn't agree with you more," Rekino added.
Ryo and Rekino followed Kelly's direction as she appeared to be finding luck of her own.
"Hold on!" Kelly exclaimed.
"Did you find something?" Rekino asked.
"I said hold on!" Kelly exclaimed before digging through the dirt and found what appeared to be the weapon the group was looking for.
"Is that it?" Ryo asked.
"Yep," Kelly answered looking at the dagger, "Hello, gorgeous."
"Guys, she found it!" Rekino shouted.
The group noticed Pablo was sensing something quite unsettling. It didn't help that Sage was sensing the same thing.
"What's going on?" Hana asked.
"Nothing good." Sage answered as the group heard roaring and smashing.
"Guys!" Pablo exclaimed, "I think we need to get out of here right now."
The group noticed a huge gust of wind attacking the group. The Ronins and the Guardians noticed a force field surrounding them, preventing the mysterious wind from attacking them.
"It appears that our armor can protect us from this evil." Rekino stated.
Moments later, the wind cleared as the group noticed Pablo and Dalton were missing.
"Pablo!" Kelly called out nearby.
"At least Kelly's okay." Hana stated.
"Let's catch up with her and then find the others." Ryo told his group.
"Right!" Sage, Rowen, Rekino and Hana all replied in unison.
The Ronin group met up with Kelly.
"Are you okay?" Rekino asked.
"I'm fine." Kelly answered. "I can't find Pablo or Dalton."
"We'll help you find them." Ryo assured her.
"Thanks," Kelly replied, "I have a feeling I'm going to need all the help I can get."
"Where could they be?" Rowen muttered.
"I'm not sure." Rekino replied.
"Pablo!" Kelly called out, "Dalton! Can you guys hear me?!"
No answer.
"Fuck." Kelly muttered before yelling, "Hello?! Pablo...god damn it."
"This isn't getting us anywhere." Sage replied, annoyed.
Suddenly, the group heard gasping and gagging sounds.
"Shit." Kelly muttered as the group saw Dalton impaled to a tree, "Dalton. No, no, no, no, no, no."
"This can't be good." Hana clasped her mouth in shock.
"It was Pablo," Dalton said, blood oozing out of his mouth, "Pablo did this."
"What?" Hana gasped.
"Pablo did this to you?" Kelly asked in disbelief.
"Kelly, all of you, get out of here." Dalton pleaded before groaning, "Uh, look at me. Look at what your fucking friend did. He set us up."
"Why would he do that?" Rekino asked.
"What are you talking about?" Kelly asked.
"We should have killed him when we had the chance." Dalton insisted, "Give me the dagger."
Ryo looked on as Kelly appeared to be hesistating on giving him the dagger.
"There's got to be another way." Kelly said.
"I agree with Kelly here," Rekino nodded in agreement, "She just found that thing!"
"Kelly," Dalton insisted, "give me the dagger. I told you this would happen, but you wouldn't listen to me."
"I'm sorry, Dalton." Kelly spoke in sorrow.
"I'm sorry too."
Before anyone could make another move, Dalton's face changed into a face of a Deadite, something looking like a zombie.
"Now give me the fucking dagger!" Dalton shouted in a demonic voice. Hana screamed and Kelly shouted in response as everyone backed away.
"He's not so hot now, eh?" Rekino asked.
"You got that right!" Hana answered.
Dalton broke out of the branch and walked towards the group, only to be ran over by the blue truck they were in earlier.
"Saved by the truck!" Rowen exclaimed.
"Time to armor up!" Ryo told his group.
"Go for it!" Kelly told the Ronin Group.
"Armor of Wildfire! Dao Jin!" Ryo and Rekino
"Armor of Strata! Dao Inochi!" Rowen
"Armor of Halo! Dao Chi!" Sage and Hana
-Collision-Course-
Kelly looked in awe as she saw the Ronin Warriors and Lady Ronin Guardians armored up for the first time.
"Wow." Kelly stated. "That's impressive."
"Thanks," Ryo replied, "we'll do autographs after we're done here."
The group heard a crashing sound.
"Let's go!" Rekino exclaimed.
Kelly led the group to where the crashing sound came from, which was not too far from where they were.
"Pablo!" Kelly called out.
"Pablo, are you okay?!" Ryo added.
They saw the truck but they couldn't tell if Pablo was there or not.
"Pablo?" Kelly gently called out this time.
Kelly, the Ronin Warriors and the Guardians looked to see that no one was in sight, not Dalton, nor Pablo.
"That's not good." Ryo muttered.