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Chapter Sixty One

"Papa," he heard Cerule greet as she came out of the shadows, long after Baroness had left. He had stayed there looking up at the mooning, and wishing for Hoshi. He hoped she heard his prayers.

He looked at with a frown, "I'm not your Dad yet, kid."

"Doesn't change the fact you will be," she smiled brightly. She was wearing her subarmor, and carrying her giant hammer. "where is everyone?"

"Back that way," he answered looking her over. Her armor seemed dinged up a bit, "did you get in a fight?"

"Nether goons," she nodded swinging her hammer to show off. "Still go down just as easy as they do in my time."

"Your time," he mumbled, and refrained from asking more. "How did you find me?"

"Your armor is related to mine, silly," she smiled as he started walking back to camp. "Of course I can find you!"

"Did I discipline your right?"

"Tried," she answered with a bright grin and he sighed.

"I better rethink my standards on parenting," he said with a roll of his eyes. "How many goons are out there?"

"Lots," she answered with a big grin.

"Are you sure you're not Kento's kid?"

"I am absolutely yours," she smiled brilliantly. "My IQ is 240."

"God dammit," he cursed and she shrugged. "How come you're such a punk then?"

"The armor," she answered skipping over a log. "I got it when I was ten...kinda ruined my teen years."

"Yeah, I get that," he grumbled as he looked over at her. He studied her facial features, she kinda looked like Hoshi, but he mostly saw himself in the girl who claimed to be his daughter. However, he remembered it was easier to be manipulated into seeing similarities than it would be differences.

She frowned, "were you always a grump?"

"I don't think so," he replied. He hadn't really been himself lately for obvious reasons. He had been pretty fun loving before, even with all of his studying.

"I hope not."

"Losing your girlfriend really does a your fun loving side in," he replied to the young woman.

She frowned, "may I ask who?"

"No, you're not messing with time, I've seen enough Doctor Who to know what happens when you do that!"

"Doctor Who?"

"Yes."

"You nerd," she chuckled and he glared at her. He looked around, did it take him that long to follow the laughter that sounded like Hoshi. He didn't remember. He heard Kento snore and breathed a sigh of relief that he found his way back.

"Dad," Cerule asked grabbing his hand to stop him before . "Where is Mom?"

He looked back at the girl, she looked really concerned. He realized her own existence is at stake. He paused and asked, "you shouldn't be asking about your own fate."

"I mean, I'm still here, it must be alright," she paused.

He groaned and thought it through, she hadn't vanished. It must have meant that her mom was still in his future. He just didn't want to know if it was Hoshi or not, because if it wasn't he would have to let her go. He rubbed the hair out of his face, "I can't tell you, because you would have to tell me who your mom is. Hoshi is the only person I would want to be your mom."

She nodded but said, "she's in the nether realm, right?"

"Right."

Cerule sighed and he almost hoped that meant that was her mom. They heard a large roar that sounded like White Blaze, and Rowen frowned. He wasn't going to get any kind of sleep tonight. He felt thoroughly exhausted. He began to ran towards the roar, knowing the tiger only let loose such a growl when there was trouble. He looked back and the girl who claimed to be his daughter was following him.

They came through where he had his encounter with Hoshi. Baroness was holding off a large beast with her ax. A first he slid to a stop, as his eyes adjusted to the moonlight. It was a dragon, but the closer he looked, he realized it was a living breathing suit of armor in the shape of a dragon.

"Rage," Cerule gasped as the dragon snapped at the ax and bit deep. "Auntie Ru!"

"Namean Roar," Baroness roared as she swung the beast free of its grip. The dragon crashed backwards into the trees. The metal beast stumbled to its feet and roared a powerful roar, the kanji for Rage burning in its forehead.

Rowen felt his transformation orb grow hot in his pocket, and he pulled out the burning orb. The kanji for wisdom was lit up, and burned bright red. He felt a deep anger welling within him as he looked it.

Cerule grabbed it from his hand, "no, don't look at it!"

Rowen snapped out of his daze, and he felt the sudden wash of anger dissipate. He looked at her, "how are you not affected?"

"My armor was never apart of Talpa's."

"Neither was Raleigh's," he replied as White Blaze jumped on the dragon's back and bit down.

"She was possessed by the dynasty though," she replied as she handed him back the orb, but made sure not to expose it to him. He slid it back in his pocket even though it burned hot with the being's Rage.

The dragon tried to shake off White Blaze as the Ryo, Sage, and Kento broke through the forest. White Blaze slid off in front of Baroness who was panting. Cerule summoned her armor in bright light, and glittered in the red moon light. She went to the warriors side clad in her rabbit style armor. "Hey, there!"

Baroness just glanced at her, "don't get in my way, child."

The dragon reared up and let loose a roar of flame. Baroness used the blunt side of her ax as shield, and Cerule rolled out of the way. Rowen went over to the guys, "we need to get our armors back."

There was deep and twisted laugh as the air felt heavy with electricity. Clouds rolled in, covering the blood moon. Talpa's castle appeared in them, and there was a laugh, "Ronin Warriors."

"Talpa," Ryo hissed as a thunderbolt hit the ground behind the dragon that they assumed was Ruby. The four gulped as they saw the smoke from the lightning lift, and a dark warrior appeared. He was almost as tall as the dragon was big, with long white hair a terrifying mask and a butterfly of swords appearing from his back.

The dragon roared as the warrior came up and patted the beast on the head, "I see you have met my lovely daughter."

Baroness twirled her ax, she never felt such darkness emanating from one being. Cerule shuttered and glanced over at the woman wearing the lion armor, she noticed how calm the being was but felt like she was shaking her in boots. She gripped Lokasenna tightly and decided to do what she always did when she wasn't feeling brave. Charge.

"Lokasenna Slam," She cried as she charged the two. The dragon stepped forward and released a gut full of flame at her attack. She brought her hammer down, which she sliced through the fire at first. She flew back and tumbled in front of the guys. "Damn, she's strong."

The man chuckled, "the only two armors that can fight me aren't even worth my time. I think I should just kill you all."

The boys lowered themselves into defensive postures out of instinct, Sage going to Cerule to help her up. Lokasenna disappeared from her hands and she pulled her twin hammers out, which had much smaller heads.

Talpa smiled, "but I will enjoy it after the way you disposed of me, Wildfire. You're going to die slow. Ruby take what we need to bring them to us."

The dragon almost seemed to smile as Talpa vanished. She looked at Rowen with burning eyes, "how dare you ally yourself with her." She said looking at Baroness with deathly eyes, "time to go kitty kat."

Baroness let her ax disappear and decided to use her auxiliary weapon. She summoned a small dagger to her hands and the dragon laughed. Cerule almost laughed herself at the tiny little weapon. "Nubian Thorns!"

The one dagger glowed, and her armor split into a million tiny glowing pieces. The lights tuned into matching daggers pointing at the dragon. She raised a hand, "Silence."

The daggers flew at the dragon in a blinding light that blinded the group. There was a sick crunch as the light diminished and they saw the dragon grabbing Baroness in its jaws. The sick crunch was the jaws clamped around her abdomen. The dragon lifted into the air with a great gust of its heavy wings and vanished.

Cerule began to swing one of her hammer's but Rowen grabbed her hand. "It's not gonna help."

"But that's..."

She left off, her lip was quivering as she turned away. Sage came over, "who is she?"

"She's Mom!"

"What," Rowen asked stumbling back for a moment. Kento placed a hand on his shoulder trying to calm him. "You're mom is Baroness?"

She dropped her hammers and covered her mouth in shock. She turned away but they noticed a gate appeared. Rowen shook his head, "but you look like Hoshi..."

Cerule grabbed her hammers and growled at him, "I don't care what you think of her now, in this point of time. I'm going after her!"

Ryo looked at her, "how?"

Her virtue lit up for war, one of her hammers lit up and a nether realm door appeared. She pointed to it, "I've learned a trick or two."

She started to walk towards the door, "are you coming or not?"

Rowen was in shock, he didn't know what to do. Baroness? How could it be Baroness?

Sage grabbed his shoulders, "we don't know what her future is like. It could be so much different."

"I'm going after Hoshi, not Baroness, the door is open," Rowen said running after Cerule who had already vanished through the door.

"Don't do something stupid," Sage growled and ran after his friend.

Ryo bent down to White Blaze, who was scuffed up a little, "I know you understand me, Blaze, you need to go get Cye and Leea. We'll go after them, but if we get our armors back, we need the inferno."

The tiger almost nodded and dashed off and Ryo ran after Kento who dashed in the time it took for him to talk to the big cat. He dashed after them, and the doors shut tight but they remained.