Ronin to Arms!
By Mardrena
Under the surreal sky of the Nether Realm, two armies clashed violently upon the desolate plain. Nether Soldiers hacked and slashed at each other with spears and scythes and Nether essence spewed into the air frequently from slain warriors. On a raised ledge overlooking the heated battle flew the pennants and standards of Lord Mabu. The Nether Regent himself sat in his tent surrounded by guards. "Stand fast men! We will yet win this battle!" Lord Mabu shouted, as he had numerical superiority.
"Master, I must say, I strongly object to you placing yourself at risk here on the front line! Perhaps you should delegate some responsibilities to your generals?" the reedy chamberlain whined piteously.
"Nonsense! There hasn't been an uprising like this in quite literally years! I wouldn't miss this for the Realm. Besides, a lord should be present to bolster the morale of his troops!"
"HAH HAH HAH HAAA! Nether Reagent? More like Nether refuse! Press the attack! We will topple this pretender this day! The same rent in space and time that allowed The Ancient to return from the Void allowed I, Baron Zelso, to reincorporate in this Realm! Emperor Talpa believes me of little consequence, but I shall prove myself his equal, no! His superior by reclaiming the Nether Realm for the Dynasty! ATTAAAAACK!" The serpentine-masked Nether Lord crowed from his perch on an ornate chariot as fresh reinforcements flooded onto the plain. Lord Mabu's forces started to fall back up the low cliff leading up to his camp. "See how they flee before my glory! What cowardice! He is not fit to be called a Nether Lord! Hmm?" Baron Zelso looked up when the sky rumbled in the distance.
Thick inky storm clouds had begun rolling in and lighting flashed in a curious manner, at a single area rather than diffused throughout the front. A rumbling clap echoed through the air and it seemed as if the storm moved towards the battlefield. Nether Soldiers on Baron Zelso's side paused and looked to the distance as they heard a different sound. Lighting flashed with greater frequency and the clouds started roiling as if stirred. Lord Mabu's forces hastened their withdrawal as the sky rumbled again.
A gigantic winged shape covered with bronze scales barreled out of the leading edge of the front. Jaws hinged wide, exposing a maw lined with teeth the size of a man's arm. A spectacular thunderous bellow issued from the mouth and lightning crackled up and down the curving tusks protruding from either side of the jaw as the gigantic wyrm dragged the storm with him. "DRAGON! DRAGON!" Baron Zelso's troops cried in a panic, realizing they'd been left exposed out on the plain while Lord Mabu's troops moved for higher ground.
"Fall back men! Clear the battlefield! Give him room!" Lord Mabu ordered.
The Norwegian Thunder Wyrm Vaughisdrough bellowed again as he came in for a low flight over the plain. The last of Lord Mabu's soldiers helped each other up to safety as the dragon's wingtips passed by. Vaugh's eyes flickered white and he hinged his mouth open, electricity coursing from his tusks all over his body. He kept his arms close to his sides and beat his wings slightly to maintain his shallow glide. Baron Zelso lashed the reins of his chariot and turned to flee, abandoning his forces as the wyrm closed in. The second Vaugh's wings passed over fleeing Nether Soldiers, hundreds of bolts of lightning streaked down, each one targeting an armored warrior. Soldiers caught in the path of destruction screamed before exploding, the empty pieces of their bodies falling to the ground.
"HO HO HO! Look at him go! Splendid show, splendid show!" Lord Mabu crowed.
Vaugh swayed slightly as he glided, appearing as if to walk on hundreds of tendrils of lightning as he vaporized every Nether Soldier caught beneath him. Soldiers popped like lightbulbs en-masse as the dragon plowed a swathe of destruction over the plain. Despite his own hasty retreat, Baron Zelso ultimately wound up caught by the living storm as a tendril of lightning yanked him out of his chariot. He yelped and squealed hysterically, his body crackling several seconds longer than the rest of his troops. He hung suspended in air before finally exploding in a spectacular display.
Far away from the battlefield, a Nether Scout and a handful of other soldiers stood observing the slaughter. "So, Lord Mabu: this is your secret weapon?" the scout lashed his hand to the side and the soldiers accompanying him began cranking the wheel of a ballista, turning it to follow the wyrm. The ballista rotated again as the soldiers calculated the dragon's flight speed and path. The soldiers pulled the lever and a thick bolt tipped with iron shot forth. "Now Lord Mabu, you shall have no dragons!" the scout crowed as the bolt closed the distance, the tip coming within a dozen feet of Vaugh's throat.
The bolt froze in the air abruptly and the tip hung a few feet from the crackling scales, the rest of the shaft trailing down harmlessly. "WHAT?!" the scout's eyes bugged out upon seeing this. Vaughisdrough let out a grunt and turned his head in their direction.
"Oh ho! Someone has not heard of electromagnetism!" Lord Mabu chuckled as Vaughisdrough angled his wings and turned slowly. The scout and his followers took off running, with the scout outpacing the soldiers easily. Vaugh still overtook them, and for all of his fleetness, the scout suffered the same fate as his master: being lifted off the ground and electrocuted rather painfully before being dismembered. Vaugh flapped his wings, pushing himself away from the ground with his hands briefly before arrowing up into the sky and looping back around towards Lord Mabu's camp. He backwinged powerfully before alighting on the ground beside his tent, drawing a frightened squeak from the chamberlain.
"I certainly hope this is not a frequent occurrence in this world, or else I might have second thoughts about my deciding to stay here," Vaugh grumbled.
"Ehhh, every now and then some ambitious lord grows restless, but seldom in so great numbers. The excitement helps break the tedium now and again, and it does not hurt to remain on one's toes."
"The irony is that were I to tarry too long near the Foundations of Pain my power could result in a new Great Vortex coalescing. In their haste to kill me, they would destroy the one opportunity they would have of escaping this Realm."
"Nether Lords aren't necessarily known for foresight…well except for old fossils such as myself!"
"Ahh...I wonder how the Ronin Warriors fare…" Vaugh tilted his head up at the clearing sky.
"I don't know what else to say, Kayura. That wasn't some random astronomical event: it wasn't a solar flare or comet. There was a will, a consciousness behind it," Ryo stated as he paced behind his seat at the conference table. He wore sub-armor and kept his arms folded over his chest.
"What...what did you see up there?" Kayura asked cautiously. Ryo paused and frowned.
"…Eyes…eyes full of hate…" An unpleasant memory of the malicious gaze in the leading edge of the spacequake came to mind. "It wasn't angry over anything we did. It's like it hated us for even trying to protect the Earth. Just being in the way 'offended' it! I thought Dais' mom was yanking our chain with what she said about that evil goddess. What if there is something out there, something we've never seen before. What if there's something we've pissed off without even realizing it?"
Well it certainly does corroborate what Britania said... Kayura thought about the girl's account and the various stories about Thanged's Goddess of Wickedness.
"Whatever it was, I can tell they went all in on their attack. They poured everything they had behind that spacequake, but they didn't count on us being able to repel them or even surviving, or else they would've tried again right away," Ryo added. Kayura tapped her chin with a fingertip: perhaps this had to do with the lack of action from Mal Daggur's forces. "In any case, I don't think we can rely on the Armor of Gea anymore." Kayura blinked and looked at Ryo sharply, startled.
"The World Armor is created from combining the powers of all ten Armors. Don't you think it's a bit premature to write off…" Kayura began. Ryo unfolded his arms and turned to face her quickly.
"Kayura, whatever hit us left me in my birthday suit in the middle of outer space." Kayura's eyes popped wide upon hearing that admission. "The only reason I didn't wind up a popsicle is because Gea intervened, though I doubt it was out of the 'goodness of its heart'. More like a self-preservation mechanism. I might've played chicken with the universe and won, but it cost us Gea in the end. Not only that, the Six Swords got shredded, and those aren't part of Gea. They were created by the Mystic Alliance to suppress that shadow demon Kai stuck inside, and as powerful as you and the other mystics are, I don't think you're skilled enough to recreate them." Kayura bit her lip. She had to admit Ryo had a point. Even Kaosu had to "outsource" the creation of the Ronin Cross and the AnimArmors. The current roster counted only herself, Shannon, Michelle, and perhaps Konomi Paige.
"...If Gea suffered as much damage as you say...surely the demon would have perished in the process?" Kayura offered. Ryo closed his eyes and shook his head.
"That's not a risk I'm willing to take. Without the Six Swords to act as a safety net, Gea should be considered permanently out of commission." Kayura's heart fell upon hearing that.
This is bad...Gea was our one trump card against the Totalitary in the ancient past. Even the Thangiens had to flee before the Enemy centuries ago. Bak's crew are loyal but few. Without Gea, our chances of surviving a second assault are slim. If only we knew more about the Third Ally…
"Gea's helped us out of a bind in the past before. If Mal Daggur wanted to fire the Vyerrdeklagn anytime soon, it'd be difficult stopping him...that's why we need to find the others pronto. Any luck?"
"Huh? Oh! Umm, we're still analyzing data-I can't believe I just said that…" Kayura rubbed her brow. "The energy that spacequake doused you all with is making even magical auguries difficult…" Kayura commented as she and Ryo exited the conference room and headed towards the comm. room.
"Um, Ryo? Azurotago is here. He says he needs to speak with you," Miz Paufan said, poking his head out of the comm. room briefly. Ryo glanced at Kayura and waved, indicating he'd return shortly. Kayura nodded understandingly and proceeded into the comm. room while Ryo walked over to the exit tunnel mouth where Chi Chi Lina, Azuro leaned against the wall, clad in spaceproof armor used for deep-space combat. Azuro looked up when he saw Ryo approach and stepped away from the wall.
"RyoTakin, it is good to see you whole and hale!" Azuro greeted and extended a hand.
"Right back atcha," Ryo replied and clasped Azuro's wrist heartily. "So, what's up?"
"We have still seen no sign of the Vyerrdeklagn, which is at once a relief and disconcerting. Perhaps in his zeal to claim the Oldworld as his own, Mal Daggur has drawn the ire of Phitdaitiarona."
"Um...yeah, I suppose…" Ryo made a face and averted his gaze. That name sure kept cropping up a lot recently… Ryo blinked when he noticed the haunted expression in Azuro's eyes. "You okay?"
"Danaetanera spoke of what transpired aboard the Argonauth…" Ryo sucked in air through his teeth but kept quiet as Azuro continued. "I have made no effort to hide my feelings regarding Thunthen in the past, but even if I felt now as I did then, I would not have wished what unfolded between Bak Thraplek's crewmembers upon anyone, not even my worst enemy. I grew up knowing only cruelty of the Thunthen...yet but for the valor of simple Koi Udsarrin, all of our loved ones might have perished." Ryo frowned: even with all of Gea's power, he would have not been able to intervene.
"I heard about what Bak's crewman said in the throes of his madness, his despair at the End Tide and the Enemy we are destined to face, and it sounded eerily similar to what Rothenn told me when we battled in the astral plane….Ryo, I saw him…at the Blood Dawn," Azuro mentioned suddenly and Ryo looked back at him. "I saw Rothenn...and he seemed quite contrite. We reconciled, and I have to wonder now, did Bak's crewman receive the same bleak insight that tortured Rothenn?
"We both know more about the Enemy, how they were defeated in the past, their bizarre motivations, and that we will face them in the near future and perish to save all existence. Entide draws ever closer, and I have to wonder: are we fully prepared to make that final stand? Is there hope in the face of such fathomless evil? We have come far, without a doubt, but will we be ready?"
"I wouldn't worry too much, Azuro. Think about it: if the Enemy was as bad as everyone painted them out to be, they would've hit up other planets besides ours. Besides, we still haven't found the Third Ally yet. We won't be alone in this fight. Don't let it get ya down," Ryo assured.
"You are right...no doubt, the might of the Four Queens has kept the Enemy at bay thus far, at least in Thuruk. The Northern Garrison will maintain patrols and sound the alarm should either the Maw of Flame or supercarriers are sighted. Until next time," Azuro turned to bow but paused. "Ah! I nearly forgot! Here, ShaTakin asked me to deliver this to her cousin," Azuro pulled a folded square of paper from his belt and Ryo realized he meant Shainie, who had decided to remain on Thanged after the Blood Dawn. Azuro held the folded letter up and Ryo accepted it, nodding reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'll pass it along when I see her. Right now we're still trying to track down the others before its too late," Ryo promised and tucked the letter under his wrist-com band. Azuro nodded and bowed before departing down the tunnel. Ryo waved farewell and headed back towards the comm. room where he found Kayura and Miz waiting for him.
"So far we've been able to narrow down the locations of four of the others. Rowen and Sage seem to have returned to familiar locales in their home towns. Kento and Cye are both currently in the same city for some reason. Tanya seems to be in the area but we can't quite get a fix on her location. Either her armor signature is still obscured or she's moving too quickly for us to get a fix on her," Kayura explained as Miz brought up a map of Japan and highlighted the ArmSig data feed.
"Sounds good. I'll start with Kento and Cye. Hopefully things won't be too difficult…"
Two young men walked down the bustling sidewalk with other pedestrians scooting out of their path, more out of fear than consideration. One looked quite calm and unassuming while the other-a broad-shouldered fellow- had a wild look in his eyes as if itching for a fight. One pedestrian, however, didn't seem to notice or care and brushed his shoulder against the larger fellow. "Hey bud! Watch where you're going! Or am I gonna have to do some redecorating on your face?!" the man with dark hair growled and clenched a fist. His light-haired companion turned around, casting a warning glare at the offender and indicating he might not remain mild-mannered for long.
"Oh! Sorry. Wasn't paying attention…"
"Yeah, I'll bet you're sorry! C'mon Cye, we've got better things to do with our time than mess with this loser…."
"I'm with ya, Kento. Some people don't know the meaning of manners in this town…" "Cye" grumbled and the two continued walking away, mumbling insults within earshot.
Ryo watched them leave and turned as if to walk in the opposite direction. He glanced at the departing pair out the corner of his eye. Man, that spacequake really did a number on our memories. They act as if they've known each other for years even though they technically didn't meet until the First Dynasty War... Ryo pulled his jacket collar up and continued walking. Better keep my distance for now... Ryo would have to wait for a more opportune time to explain mystical armors.
It didn't take long for Kento and Cye to run afoul of a trio of thugs who cowardly chose to ambush the duo first by knocking Kento to the ground with a bat then cornering Cye against a wall. All because Kento insisted he knew a shortcut… One of the thugs taunted Cye by poking at him with the bat while another hefted a thick segment of metal pipe. Cye grit his teeth and held his arms raised ready to deflect blows. "Hah! Look at this guy! Thinks he's some sort of hotshot martial artist!" One punk swung the bat at Cye, who dodged and hooked his arm around the bat, intending to twist it out of the thug's grasp. The other punk hit him in the arm with the pipe, sending Cye reeling.
"C-C-Cye…" Kento growled and pushed himself to his palms. The third punk who'd been hanging back watching his two friends go after Cye turned around and saw Kento slowly rising to his feet.
"Hey! Whatcha think you're doing! Stay down!" the thug took a 2x4 and slammed Kento in the gut. He didn't notice how Kento's eyes flickered white. The thug hit him again and sent Kento toppling into the shadows of the darkened alley.
"Kento!" Cye wailed and lunged forward only to be knocked back by the punk with the bat.
"Where you think you're goin! If you don't want the same treatment, ya better pay up!"
"L-Like Hell I'll give a bloody dime to scum like you!" Cye spat, blood staining the corner of his lip. Any other person would've given up or turned tail and fled, but Cye stood his ground, his spirit refusing to allow him to back down without a fight. The thugs with the pipe and bat took erratic swipes at him, and though he managed to deflect most of them, eventually he'd tire. The punk with the 2x4 looked over his shoulder when he thought he heard a rustle from the shadows.
"Hey! I thought I told you to stay down!" he slammed the board down only for something to grab it midswing and pull it-and him-into the darkness. The other two punks paused their assault on Cye and looked to the shadows. The punk with the bat crept towards the darkness and tightened his grip. He yelped in fright when something grabbed him by his ankle and yanked him to the ground before pulling him into the darkness as well. The thug with the pipe seemed to forget about Cye entirely and swung the pipe erratically at the darkness. Cye didn't know what else to do besides watch.
"G-Get out o-of there, you! Sh-Show yourself!" the punk stuttered. Two glowing points of light appeared in the shadows, low to the ground at first, then rising high above the punk. A low rattling growl issued from the darkness. Before the punk had a chance to turn tail and run, a lavender-skinned hand with claw-tipped fingers reached out and grabbed the thug by his collar and pulled him into the shadows. Cye stared wide-eyed as he heard several wet cracking and crunching sounds coming from the darkness. He had to duck as something flew out of the shadow, followed by two other objects.
Cye dared stand back up and looked over his shoulder to see the three punks' bodies embedded in the brick wall behind him, their arms and legs twisted in the wrong direction like origami figures. His gaze snapped back to the shadows when a humanoid form emerged into the flickering lamplight. "Whoa! Um….uhh….Kento?…that you?" Cye stammered, not sure what to think of the transformed human with light gray-lavender skin and bone-white hair. Thick white claws tipped the fingertips and the eyes glowed dimly white. "Whoa...what-what happened to you!?" Cye gasped.
"You know, I have no idea, to be honest," the creature shrugged and placed a hand on the back of its head and its free hand on its hip. "You think it was something I ate?" Kento blinked his white eyes.
"Finally tracked you two down. Sorry bout that, I should've been here sooner but ArmSig's still being buggy and threw me for a loop." The two looked to the side when someone approached. "Seeing as how you're pretty chill about your Avatar form, I guess it's safe to say you haven't lapsed," a man with shoulder-length black hair and diamond blue eyes commented with a smile. He wore a leather jacket with a thick fur ruff and a black-and-gold insignia on the back over a strange suit of form-fitting black plate-and-mesh armor with red accents. "Hi. Name's Ryo. I can explain everything."
"So even though we won, this 'spacequake' completely scrambled our minds and wiped any memory of our recent past, or else Cye could've used his Armor to defend himself…" Ryo explained as he leaned against a lamp post while Cye sat at a wooden table. A box of assorted donuts sat open on the tabletop. "The good news is there is a way to restore our memories, but it's pretty stressful." Ryo glanced out the corner of his eye when white claws reached over and tweaked one of the donuts out of the box. "Kayura thinks it might be better to get the whole gang back together before attempting a full restoration, so that our combined spirits can share the burden." Again the claws plucked another donut and Ryo made a face. "The tricky part is we got scattered all over the place, and it's taking some time to locate everyone." Once more the claws pilfered a plump powdered pastry. "Uhh...Kento, being in that form makes you have to eat more. Maybe you should change back…" Ryo had provided the donuts as an icebreaker, but the still-transformed Kento had eaten more than half the box.
"What's your point?" Kento said between mouthfuls and shrugged before gulping down his current donut. Ryo grimaced and sighed heavily.
Yup, definitely Kento alright... Kento paused in eating another donut when he thought he heard Ryo speak, yet his lips did not move.
"Any other situation I'd think you completely off your rocker, but I actually have no trouble believing you. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's been something nagging at me from the back of my mind that things haven't been quite right lately," Cye remarked.
"It's your Heart of Trust. Even though you don't remember it, it's still a part of you. There's a place for you to stay until everyone's ready. I can port you over whenever."
"Sounds good. I could do with a change of scenery," Cye shrugged and grinned.
"Oh, um, hey, Kento?" Kento looked up from finishing the last of the donuts as Ryo walked over to him. "So, apparently you and my sister are...sort of a thing…"
"You have a sister?" Kento raised both white eyebrows. Ryo made a face and rolled his eyes.
"Yeah...that's what I said. Well, near as we can tell she's in this area, but we can't pinpoint exactly where. She's about in the same boat as the two of you, meaning she's lost her memories. You'd actually have a better chance than me of connecting with her and gaining her trust."
"Oh! Okay…" Kento replied absently. Ryo frowned, slightly annoyed.
"She's kind of a wallflower, sort of a loner and not exactly a team player. She's difficult to approach and trust doesn't come easy to her…" Kento nodded dumbly. Ryo sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, rubbing his eyebrows with his thumb slightly. "Meaning she's not gonna wanna see you like that," Ryo stated and waved a hand at Kento. Cye's eyes danced with laughter and he held a hand over his mouth to conceal a smirk. Kento blinked several times before realizing what Ryo meant.
"Ohhhh...huh, yeah, I guess that would make for an awkward conversation starter...um...there an off switch for this or anything?" Kento asked and looked down his back from side to side.
"How the hell am I supposed to know!? That's your 'Inner Aspect'!" Ryo exclaimed and shrugged both shoulders and threw up his hands, exasperated.
"I don't suppose this came with an instruction manual…" Kento spent a few more moments glancing about awkwardly before turning his gaze upward and placing a finger on his chin. His body shrank as he reverted to normal. "Ah, that did it…"
...I don't remember him being able to change back that quickly before... Ryo blinked, amazed. "Here, you'll need one of these to home in on her. We'll try to keep you up-to-date through the ArmSig network," Ryo explained and handed Kento a new wrist-com with an orange band.
"Don't you worry! I'll bring your sister back safe and sound! You can count on me!" Kento assured as he fastened the band around his wrist. Ryo's brow furrowed and his shoulders drooped slightly.
Yeah...that's what I'm afraid of... At this point, Cye had slumped over the table top and buried his face in the crook of his arm, his entire body shaking from laughter.
Roxi Hirochner sat in the lobby of the auto shop thumbing through a magazine while the Labrador Retriever Goldheart lay on the floor by her feet. Normally she'd ask Rowen to help with her truck, but he had yet to be found, and this happened to be the only shop that could do this sort of specialty work without charging an arm and a leg. "Alright Miss Hirochner, all finished!"
Roxi's gaze snapped up when she thought she heard a familiar voice and she stumbled to her feet when the "mechanic" approached. "Got everything taken care of on the spot. Didn't have to order any parts or anything. Here's your receipt," the young man held out a sheet of paper. Roxi stammered and glanced about in a panic. If she called him by name off the bat as if she knew him, it'd come off as awkward. She spotted his name tag on his uniform.
"Ahhh...Thank you...uh…'Rowen'," Roxi stated, finally accepting the slip of paper. While she managed to maintain composure, Goldheart showed far less discretion and insisted on burying his nose against Rowen's calf, snuffling noisily and whipping his tail to and fro.
"My...quite a friendly dog ya got there," the blue-haired young man chuckled. "He acts like he knows me real well," Rowen leaned down and rubbed the retriever between the ears.
"Oh, yeah, sure, he's real friendly…" Roxi muttered. Maybe a little too friendly as Goldheart's excitement started to make a scene. Roxi tried tugging him back by his collar but he kept sniffing Rowen's pant leg. Roxi stooped down and hissed a command in Thangien under her breath and Goldheart promptly sat down. Rowen blinked: even though Roxi had spoken in a low tone, he heard her speak and something about the words she spoke seemed eerily familiar to him. He stood there staring at her as she dragged Goldheart to the register and paid for the service bill then all but hauled the Labrador Retriever into the passenger seat. Rowen wiped his hands with a towel and watched the truck drive off, mulling over the curious encounter before shrugging it off and resuming work.
"Don't forget to lock up once you finish!" the evening supervisor hollered as he left.
"Okay!" Rowen assured and set about to closing down the auto shop.
"Rowen?!" Rowen blinked and leaned up from where he stooped over and saw a lanky older man wearing a white labcoat and substantial stubble on his chin stride through the open garage door.
"...Dad?" Rowen squinted, confused. The man threw up both hands, flustered.
"Oh, so now you remember me? What, you lose a few IQ points you couldn't give your old man a call that you were back in town? You know I couldn't believe it when one of my colleagues swore he'd seen you working at an auto shop of all places! My son: a grease monkey?! What, the 'saving the world' gig hit a dry spell lately? Shoot, if you needed a part time job you could've asked!" Rowen stared at his father blankly, thoughts conflicting in his mind. He blinked and looked to the side slightly when he saw something come in through the garage door.
Alot of things happened in a short period of time. It looked like a humanoid creature with saurian features like a long rounded muzzle and small hook-like horns atop its head and a short orange beard and head crests. It spotted Rowen being berated by the man in the lab coat and immediately froze in place and pivoted on its heel intending to leave before being noticed. However, the man took note of Rowen's distracted expression and immediately turned around, at which time the creature stood stock still in the garage entrance. The man had one finger pointed at Rowen then slowly turned his wrist around to point at the creature. "…who is this?" the man asked in a tiny voice.
"Uh….uh…" Rowen saw the panicked look in the creature's eyes and that he obviously didn't want to be outed. On the outside of the garage, Ryo crept along the wall and saw the pickle Miz Paufan had gotten himself into and stayed out of sight. "um...he's...uh...a friend…we've been planning on going to ah-uh-cosplay fest, and he wanted to show off his outfit," Rowen improvised. Much to his credit, the young alien creature had the presence of mind to keep his mouth shut. Ryo caught on to what Rowen meant and cupped his hand around his mouth.
"Um, yeah! Sorry if I startled you Mr. Hashiba!" Ryo's voice emanated from Miz's direction.
With any other person, the ruse might've worked, however this was Genshiro Hashiba they were dealing with, and Rowen could only watch aghast as Genshiro strode over to the young alien and leaned close, scrutinizing the "costume" at all angles. The young alien tried to lean away when Genshiro brought his nose within a hairbreadth of his snout. The alien's eyes remained so focused on Genshiro's face he didn't notice at first how Genshiro brought his hand over under his chin and closed his thumb and index finger around a single fiber of the scaly beard on his chin and tugged.
"OW!" Miz yelped and clamped a hand over his chin. Ryo smacked a palm against his face but Genshiro's mouth spread wide in a giddy grin.
"Wow! I knew it! Gosh golly! A real live space alien! Well howdy there! I'm very pleased to meet ya!" Genshiro took Miz's hand and shook it energetically, and the little Common could only blink in surprise. "Hey! Universal greeting: bah-weep-graana-weep-ninny-bong!" Miz didn't know what to think when Genshiro started making a series of gestures with his hand and fingers. Rowen smacked his own palm against his face and pulled downward. "Here, lemme get a picture! The guys at the lab won't believe this!" Before Miz could squirm out of range, Genshiro wrapped one arm around the back of his shell and fished a small camera out of his lab coat pocket and aimed the camera towards them, snapping a picture of himself grinning like a giddy kid and Miz looking absolutely horrified.
"Hah hahahah! Can't fool me! C'mon Rowen, you should know better than to try pulling the wool over my eyes! Rowen's my son, by the way: sharper than a tack! Hey? You come in peace? I certainly hope so if you're friends with my son," Genshiro prattled as he pulled away. Miz flinched when he felt a sharp prick on his chin and did a double take at the man.
"Did-Did you just pluck my beard!?" Miz demanded and clamped a hand over his chin.
"No I didnt!" Genshiro chirped as he pulled a small plastic specimen bag out of one pocket with one hand and held an orange scale fiber between his thumb and index finger with the other.
"Yes you did!" Miz accused.
"No I didn't!" Genshiro insisted with an almost cheerful look on his face. Miz stuttered and looked from Genshiro's face to the bag as he put it in his pocket. He pointed at Genshiro, his mouth hanging open as the eccentric professor began searching about his many pockets. "Now where did I put that...AH! Here they are!" Genshiro held up two cotton swabs and smiled broadly. "Say! Would you mind if I swabbed your nose and mouth?"
"WAAAAAHHHHHH!" Miz pelted out of the auto shop bawling with Genshiro in hot pursuit.
"Wait! I just need a skin sample for my scrapbook!"
"Dad!" Rowen tried chasing after the two but stopped when they ran out of sight. He let his arms hang at his sides. Ryo leaned out from where he'd been concealed, a puzzled look on his face.
Shannon looked up at the signs, hoping she had the right address. While Ryo had gone to follow up on Roxi's info, she'd been assigned with finding Sage. He'd spoken precious little about his family, but they obviously meant very much to him if he'd returned home in his amnesiac state. She spotted a familiar name on a sign and cautiously entered. Her face lit up when she spotted a familiar profile: Sage dressed in traditional garb wielding a practice sword. He looked completely at ease, at home in his element. She took a step forward and opened her mouth to call his name.
She paused and recoiled when someone moved between her and Sage, as if she weren't there. "Ah, Sage! I could scarce believe when I heard the news! You should drop by more often. Surely your duties cannot be that onerous that you cannot spend more time at home?" Shannon blinked, only seeing the man's broad back and impressive stature: This had to be Sage's grandfather. Sage turned to face him and smiled warmly. He glanced past him and saw a woman with wild-looking blond hair in a somewhat antiquated style. She seemed like she wanted to talk to Sage but remained quiet out of respect.
"I take it this means you've finally divested yourself from that uncouth American girl you'd been dating?" Sage blinked when he saw the woman's jaw drop. "Your sister will be ecstatic! I am certain she can find someone more worthy of marrying into the clan than such a wild foreigner…" The girl's expression became increasingly irate as Sage's grandfather continued speaking. "Such a storied family as ours requires worthy blood to sow future generations…" Sage's eyes widened slightly when the woman clenched her fists and grit her teeth, narrowing her eyes. "Preferably a more traditional, demure type…" Sage's grandfather took note of Sage's distracted expression and turned around. "Hmm?"
The door to the dojo flew open, the bell jingling violently as Shannon stormed outside and stalked down the sidewalk, absolutely fuming. Sage ran out and watched her departing swiftly. Sage's grandfather emerged onto the sidewalk behind him, a hand clamped over one eye. "Hrm...it seems I may have misspoke: perhaps she is worth holding onto after all…" Sage could only watch her leave and wonder what kind of woman could have the audacity to give his grandfather-of all people-a shiner.
"Maaaan….this thing's had me walking in circles...I know that guy Ryo said their system's been spazzing out but you'd think they'd work the bugs out by now…" Kento grumbled as he scrutinized the screen of the wrist-com he'd been provided. The orange dot showed his position but he'd been following the direction of the blinking pink dot for hours and hadn't gotten any closer. His eyes widened and his gaze snapped up when he heard a familiar sound yet an unfamiliar tune. It sounded like a flute some distance away. An image came to mind of a girl with black hair sitting in bed playing.
Kento pocketed the wrist-com and relied instead on instinct, following the direction of the sound around corners and down side streets. The sun had started to set and people would start going home soon. He had a narrow window to find her. The flute sounded closer and closer. Kento rounded a corner and paused when he spotted a girl with black hair bound into two ponytails hanging down her back sitting on a park bench. Her fingers moved deftly over the holes in the exquisite instrument. The flute appeared inlaid with pink glass with gold inlay twined like vines about its surface.
That's her! It's her! I know it! I can't really remember but I know it's her! Kento's face lit up and he took a step forward, intending to introduce himself. A sleazy looking drunkard sauntered up to the bench and leered down at the girl.
"Quite a fancy instrument ya got there girl. I got an instrument you could play, if you catch my drift! Heh heh heh!" the man snickered and gyrated suggestively. The girl flicked her gaze up at the man and she set her jaw, her bronze-brown eyes flashing with anger. She rose to her feet quickly and with shocking speed kneed the rat-like man between the legs forcefully enough to invert his crotch. The man collapsed onto his back on the pavement, his cheap sunglasses hanging askew from his face, but the girl continued kicking him, shrilly shouting enough expletives to make a hardened biker blush.
"uhh….is Ryo sure we were dating?" Kento muttered to himself in a tiny voice and kept his distance as the girl finished teaching the lech a lesson and tucked the flute up the sleeve of her gray windbreaker and stuffed her hands in her pockets and took off walking down the street. It had gotten a great deal darker. Kento gulped nervously and followed after her, maintaining a discreet distance and hiding himself behind everything to cars to vending machines to newsstands. Despite his size, he knew how to move stealthily. Slow and silent that was the key…
"Whoever's the weirdo following me, you better stop or I'll kick your ass," the girl growled and came to a stop, pivoting on her heels.
"You could hear me?" Kento remarked and emerged from his cover. The girl scowled in warning. "Wait! We're friends! Well, sort of-we know each other! It's just-well-we don't remember! Um." Kento rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "You see, there was a big fight, and our minds got messed up. Your brother asked me to find you-" The girl squared her shoulders and withdrew a hand from her pocket, clenching a fist. An impression came to mind of a fortress, foreboding and unassailable.
"You like the smell of lavender!-Don't ask me how I know that!" The girl looked genuinely startled. "You like your space and you mix marshmellows in applesauce! I'm not sure how I know this stuff all of a sudden…" Kento blinked, surprised at himself. It felt like a dozen puzzle pieces spinning about in his mind trying to fit into place. "You have a little sister, and you two get along really well. You're really good at sewing…" The girl cocked her head to the side and eyed Kento warily. She took a step towards him and Kento stood stock still as she approached slowly. Pleasedontkickmepleasedontkickmepleasedontkickme... The girl stopped a couple feet away and regarded Kento levelly, hooking her thumbs in her pockets.
"I like to think I got an internal alarm that lets me know if someone is a total creep...and with any other person it'd be screaming its' fool head off...but for some reason, its' totally quiet with you…"
"…does it make a sound?" Kento asked and grinned. "You know, like a 'wee-ooh-wee-ooh'!" The girl burst out laughing through her nose and nearly doubled over. Kento smiled warmly.
In the darkness some distance away, the silencer-equipped muzzle of a pistol rose slightly. The hammer clicked ever so quietly as a black-gloved thumb cocked it back. The soft click sounded deafening to Kento, however, and his eyes widened in alarm. He reached out and grabbed the girl by the arm and before she had a chance to cuss him out, pulled her around and shielded her with his back just before a bullet whizzed through where her head had been a few moments before, lodging in Kento's shoulder. Kento hissed from the impact and glared into the darkness, his pupils turning white. He growled in frustration when three darts struck his arm and he quickly swatted them away.
"What the fu-" the girl demanded as Kento pushed her towards a sheltered stairwell.
"Tanya, hide!" Kento shouted, his voice sounding slightly different. The girl glanced from him to the shadows when she heard what sounded like rapidly approaching footsteps and scurried behind a pile of boxes and laden trashcans, tucking herself into the shadows as tightly as she could.
Wait...how'd he know my name? Tanya blinked. She didn't have time to ponder that mystery as she watched Kento get completely dogpiled by a dozen or more men in black suits and sunglasses, so much so she couldn't see him under so many attackers.
"Where'd the girl go?!" "We'll get her soon enough! We got this guy to deal with!" "Isn't this the one that transforms?!" "Didn't you tranq him?" "I did!" "It's not working!" "Quick, call for backup-!" Bodies flew in all directions as Kento erupted from the pile of assailants, roaring deeply like a beast. He looked drastically different: taller and bulkier with white hair and gray-lavender skin. Thick white claws tipped his fingertips and his eyes glowed white hot with anger. He held the shirt front of a suited attacker in each fist and bonked their heads together before flinging them away. Another nearby assailant tried drawing a pistol only for Kento to grab it and crush the barrel easily in his hand. He grabbed the man's wrist and flung him around, slamming him against other men trying to take aim. Tanya watched amazed as Kento made short work of the attackers, flinging them against walls.
When the last assailant fell unconscious, Kento paused to catch his breath, his chest rising and falling powerfully. "That'll teach you jerks to shoot me!" Kento growled, his voice slightly deeper than before. Tanya meekly emerged from her hiding place and stared at him, wide-eyed. Kento glanced at her, his eyes dimming slightly. Tanya recoiled and clamped a hand over her mouth.
"No no no no! It's okay! It's okay! It's alright! It's me! It's just a thing I can do, you know, like a superpower or something!" Kento raised a hand and waved reassuringly. Tanya grabbed her ponytails and crossed them over her eyes, blindfolding herself. "What? Whaaat? Oh c'mooon, I don't look that hideous! I just look like my regular dopey-ass self!" Kento grumbled and hung his shoulders, exasperated as Tanya kept her eyes covered. "What? What?" Kento demanded, puzzled.
He frowned when Tanya raised one hand and stabbed her index finger at the ground several times. He scratched the back of his head and put his free hand on his hip, glancing from side to side then down at his shoes, wondering if he might've stepped in something by accident or if something might've splashed on his pants. His gaze strayed further up his legs. "OH MY GOSH!" Kento grimaced and looked about in a panic, reaching out and grabbing a discarded pizza box and moving it infront of his waist. "I am terribly sorry about that! Um-I've actually never had that happen before...uh…" Kento felt his cheeks grow hot and he scratched behind his ear. Tanya risked a peek through her hair and saw his cheeks turn a slightly darker shade of purple.
"Now, we're both adults here: it's a perfectly normal, natural response…" Kento waved with his free hand and shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. "Um...I guess you could think of it as a compliment?" Kento offered weakly. Tanya pulled her ponytails tighter over her eyes and cringed. Kento winced and bunched his shoulders apologetically.
He found her sitting on a park bench under a street lamp. Initially he fretted about losing sight of her even after he'd hastily changed his clothes and dashed back out onto the street in search of her, but thankfully that thick blonde hair of hers stood out in a crowd. He'd discreetly kept his distance until she stopped to sit down and nearby foot traffic had subsided enough to give them a modicum of privacy. She seemed to be expecting him as she said nothing while he approached. He cautiously sat down on the opposite end of the bench from her. "We first met in a place like this...it was by the coast, though. I doubt that exhibit we saw at the museum is still on display: it's probably moved on since then…"
"I already know about the Armor," Sage said bluntly, drawing a startled glance from the woman. "You don't have to sugarcoat things for me. My Grandfather filled me in on most of the details. It is a family heirloom, after all...He doesn't know what happened any more than I do, only that something is definitely...off. I take it you came to find me, to bring me back to who I'm supposed to be?"
"...Yeah…" Shannon admitted and fished the Ronin Cross out from under her collar. "I thought about using this to try and jog your memory," she ran her thumb over the Halo Emerald, which flickered briefly. "But if Kayura didn't have success with the Staff of Ancients, and she's the strongest mystic alive, I sure as heck wouldn't be able to do it myself…"
"But it is possible, yes? There are others like me, or else you wouldn't have come."
"Yes...there is a way to restore your memory…" Shannon croaked and nodded slightly. I just wish there were a way to leave some stuff out... Shannon bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut, trying her hardest to fight back tears, wishing they could find a way to edit out what Mal Daggur did to Sage: the grief and madness losing his humanity-even for a brief period-inflicted.
The two walked through the quiet street with Kento-still transformed-keeping slightly ahead and Tanya following behind sullenly with both arms folded over her chest and her gaze averted. Kento glanced over his shoulder at her and bit his lip. He folded his arms over his chest and drummed his claws against his skin then turned to the side slightly. "Look, would it make you feel better if I said I'm a virgin?" he offered and shrugged. Tanya made an annoyed grunt and squeezed her eyes shut. Kento frowned and turned his gaze back forward, huffing softly. Way to go, Kento. You totally blew it with her. Now she's gonna be all awkward around you...
"It's not you…" Tanya grumbled and Kento glanced back at her. There are so many dirty jokes going through my head right now, I hope you're happy... Initially startled upon hearing the errant thought, Kento couldn't help but smirk slightly. His eyes widened slightly and his nose twitched. "It's just...I don't think of myself as being attractive enough to give a guy a bo-"
"Oh my gosh, there's an open sewer nearby!" Kento squawked suddenly and clamped both hands over his nose and mouth. Tanya wrinkled her face in disgust and glanced from side to side.
"Whaaaaat? I don't smell anythi-" Tanya scoffed, suspecting he merely wanted to change the subject. "OOOH MY GOSH!" Tanya's eyes popped wide and she clamped her own hands over her nose and mouth. The two took off running down a side street before quickly pelting back the way they'd come. "Mulch!" Not soon after they had to change course yet again.
"Burnt grease!"
"Bad cooking!"
"Wet trash!"
"Oooh hoo hoo hoo!" Tanya let out a series of garbled curse words as the two ran side by side attempting various detours before retreating, desperately trying to evade ever-more heinous smells.
Rowen gazed up at the ceiling of the spacious cavern as he marveled at the facility that at once felt familiar and unfamiliar to him. He blinked when he heard a very familiar voice and turned around, his jaw dropping when he spotted his father standing beside one of the larger aliens hunkered next to what looked like a parked fighter of some sort. "Dad!? What are you doing here!" Rowen demanded, exasperated as he strode over to where Genshiro leaned over the shoulder of a spike-shelled dragonman with a reddish beard, muttering something to him. Genshiro stood up and turned to greet Rowen as he approached and stepped away, wiping his hands with a grease-stained towel.
"Rowen! How come you've never introduced me before? These guys are fascinating to talk to!" Genshiro marveled and jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
"Look, Dad, these guys are a very technologically sophisticated race; they don't need someone like you bumbling around-" Rowen scolded.
"He's shown us how to increase the power output of our portable closed-fusion drives by seventeen percent!" the red-bearded dragonman remarked. Rowen opened his mouth to protest then closed it just as quickly and fumed, rolling his eyes. Just then the younger alien from earlier came around the craft.
"Naz, the Captain wanted to know if you-" Miz Paufan's eyes widened when he saw Genshiro.
"Oh! Hey there little guy! Listen, I'm really sorry about earlier. I got a little carried away: totally unprofessional of me! So, bygones be bygones?" Genshiro apologized and extended a hand.
"WAAAAAAAHHHH!" Miz fled, wailing hysterically. Naz Dassyr rolled his eyes and shook his head while Genshiro grimaced and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.
"Yeah...that's what you get for making a bad first impression, Dad…" Rowen growled. Genshiro glanced down when he heard a beep and pulled a pager out of one of his myriad coat pockets.
"Bah! I'm needed back at the lab. Damn assistants can't tie their shoes without me! Naz, listen, I'm sorry but I need to get going," Genshiro shrugged and turned to face Naz as he stood.
"So soon? A pity. We'll have to do this again sometime."
"Sure thing!" Rowen's jaw dropped as he watched Naz and Genshiro exchange a complex series of hand bumps before pointing their index fingers at each other as Genshiro turned to leave.
Roxi sat on one of the sofas in the living room, taking a brief nap. She had promised to drive Rowen's father back home and waited patiently. She looked up when she heard a knock on the front door and saw Ryo walk over to answer. He held his arms wide in greeting. "Tanya! Hey! Welcome back sis! I-" Roxi watched and smirked as Tanya Sanada stormed past Ryo, completely ignoring him but looking very much irritated. Ryo stared after her, baffled. He turned to the side when Kento-in his normal form-entered the room, looking slightly guilty. Ryo glanced from Kento to Tanya, confused.
His eyes widened as he put two and two together and he glared at Kento sharply. "Sorry!" Kento shrugged and held up his palms. Ryo scowled and grit his teeth: having Kento as a potential brother-in-law would take a great deal of getting used to…
"Hullo there! Looks like another member of the 'team' is back!" Tanya looked up and saw a cheerful young man with light brown hair looking down at her from the upper floor. Cye made his way downstairs as Kento lumbered into the room. Roxi smiled, relieved at seeing the guys coming together after their ordeal. Cye frowned when he saw blood staining Kento's back.
"Whoa! You got yourself a bit of a souvenir there, Kento!" he remarked. Kento grunted and tilted his head over his shoulder.
"Oh. Forgot about that. You could've given us a bit of a warning about this stuff. We got ambushed by some weirdos in black suits…" Kento turned to face Ryo and reached around, trying to pinch the skin. Roxi's eyes widened when she saw the telltale glint of a bullet. The wound itself had healed when Kento transformed, but the skin sealed snugly around the bullet instead of pushing it out entirely.
"Guys in suits? You sure they weren't just possessed by Nether Spirits or something?"
"Whoa! Kento, hold on there!" Roxi warned and sprang up from her seat, holding her hand up and splaying her fingers. Kento withdrew his hand and remained still as Roxi strode over. He cringed nervously when he saw her draw her Bowie knife and move the tip close to the entry wound. Before his nerves could even register anything, Roxi expertly tweaked the bullet out using the knife tip and bounced it about in her palm, gauging the weight. She pinched the bullet between her thumb and index finger and studied it intently. "...tungsten alloy...looks like copper…Kento, this is an armor piercing bullet! Someone was trying to kill you!" Roxi stated and looked up at him, brow furrowed in concern.
Kento stared down at her then looked past her at where Tanya stood. Their stunned gazes met: they both knew who that bullet had been originally intended for.
"And here we go: home sweet home! You guys call it the Roost," Shannon introduced as the last of the heavy security doors slid open and she and Sage Date entered the main cavern.
"Heyy! You managed to find Sage!" Ryo beamed and walked over to greet the two. "Welcome back, Sage! I take it Shannon filled you in on everything that happened?" Ryo extended a hand and Sage shook it reluctantly, still trying to digest the new surroundings.
"She gave me the basics, and to be honest, I didn't have much trouble believing her considering she nearly decked my grandfather…" Sage shrugged and rubbed the back of his head.
"Wait, what!?" Ryo's eyes popped open upon hearing that. Shannon giggled softly and covered her mouth with her fingertips. "Oh! I almost forgot: Azuro swung by the other day and left this for you. Guess its from your cousin, Shainie…" Ryo tweaked the folded envelope from under his wrist-com and handed it over to Shannon, who took it gratefully. Ryo waved goodbye before walking off to one of the side chambers adjacent to the main cavern. Sage craned his neck back, taking in the scale of the cavern.
"I must admit, it's a lot to take in. I should be freaking out about all this, but it feels so familiar, almost like a second home...hmm?" Sage looked to the side at Shannon reading the unfolded letter. "Good news from family, I take it?" Sage teased. Shannon set her jaw and pursed her lips then looked up at him with an expression Sage had the eerie feeling he'd seen before.
"There is going to be a Thangien branch of the O'Connor family now…." she said in a low voice and tapped her fingers against the back of the letter. Sage wasn't exactly sure what she meant but could tell she seemed very incensed. Shannon worked her jaw from side to side and crumpled the letter between her hands, that unnerving expression remaining in her eyes.
The main screen lit up as bars of light rolled across the world map several times. Four pings appeared scattered across the planet. "Jeez! The others got sent all over the place!" Ryo remarked.
"Dais wound up in Europe of all places. Guess that's where his parents met? Dad should be easy to find. Looks like he's in good ol' Arizona. Sehkmet's way down in Yucatan and Cale's all the way in Siberia, but signals are still difficult to pin down," Michelle commented. She, Kayura, and Shannon stood off to one side of the console opposite of Ryo. Miz Paufan sat at his usual seat monitoring data.
"Welp, looks like I've got my work cut out for me. Just need reliable landmarks and I can teleport in a jiffy," Ryo shrugged.
"Um, Ryo...about that...well...we've been talking...and…" Shannon fidgeted, rubbing her index fingertips together. Ryo glanced at her.
"We're still trying to narrow down the exact locations, and seeing as how we're racing against the clock…" Michelle commented meekly. Ryo raised an eyebrow, confused.
"If you ported right this second you might waste precious time looking aimlessly. We'd need to be able to update data in real time, and the ArmSig network is still getting a lot of interference. The wrist-coms alone aren't powerful enough to process that much information," Miz added.
"The Raider can-at most-comfortably seat three, and there's four Ronin Warriors to track down in quick succession, and-well-Anubis was the only one fully trained in piloting it…" Ryo glanced at Kayura, eyes narrowing in a puzzled scowl. "We'd need something big enough to carry passengers yet capable of receiving updated information quickly, and Argonauth is certainly far too big to deploy for such a delicate task...and too slow to travel such distances without assistance…"
"So...we were thinking…" Michelle began cautiously and scratched her cheek. The other mystics looked similarly hesitant and Miz tucked his head close to his shell. Ryo glanced between each of them.
"ohhh no…" Ryo's eyes widened as it finally dawned on him. "No! No no no no NO! Absolutely not! No!" Ryo stabbed his finger at them, scowling. The mystics exchanged glances and Miz hunkered down in his chair. "No! We are not asking for help from that-"
"So I took a trip on a sailing ship, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" Harlann Wallhanger bobbed from side to side as he sang from his seat on one of the armrests of the command chair on the bridge of the Blue Isis. Captain Caroline Wendell reclined leisurely in her seat with her fingers tented infront of her chin, wrinkled lips spread in a warm smile. "There's a treasure trove in a shining cove, yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!" Other members of the JJDS: Harry Holmes, Davie Osmond, and Crystal Hacker lounged about the bridge. Captain Wendell's loyal crew sat at their stations with First Mate T'Brandon standing off to the side behind the command chair. He glanced down at Harlann and smirked. "And a flag unfurled on an unknown world, yo ho hoooo and a bot-tle of ruuuuummm…." The air boomed in the wake of Blue Isis' engines as it sped over the ocean.
AoD Soundtrack
1. Bringing the Storm-Wrecking Machine-Permaband
2. Not Quite Right Lately-Coffee and TV-Blur
3. The Wacky Professor-Science-Two Steps From Hell
4. A Dozen Puzzle Pieces-Cathedral-Two Steps From Hell
5. Shed the Light-In Paradisum-Thomas Bergersen
6. All Aboard the Blue Isis-Skulls & Trombones-Two Steps From Hell
"Did the Thangiens create the Neo Armors?" Kayura asked. Miz shook his head. She couldn't see any deceit in his eyes. "...Did the Thunthen?" Again, Miz shook his head no. Kayura wrinkled her brow. "...then...who?" Miz stared back at Kayura, looking genuinely stark terrified.
"I-I-I c-c-can't!" Miz stammered. A sudden alarm from the console caught both their attention. Kayura didn't know the first thing about technology, but she knew enough to know that objects should not be moving through the atmosphere that quickly as four dots swept across the screen.
Wrawthe of the Gods
Author's Notes
The scene with Genshiro I originally had planned for the Three Wars period but decided to move it up, otherwise he wouldn't have made an appearance until much much much MUCH later. I have no idea if the spelling is correct, I've seen different versions, but I went with Genshiro since it's more compact. I can only hope I did his depiction justice since there's virtually no mention of him in the original animated series, and the audio books were never released in the US. I know Data Raven portrayed him in her series but that had a more grim tone.
I'm fairly certain he's the only parent explicitly named and depicted in any media. I remember seeing a picture recently and I'm not sure if its official artwork or fanart, but it showed a young Rowen being tended to by his mother who looked irritated and in the background you see his father working away frantically on a large drawboard. There is a segment in the English dub of Gaiden where-for whatever reason- Ward Perry (Rowen) slurs his line (during Ryo's birthday party). I imagine Genshiro sounding something like that.
I don't follow comics religiously but I remember reading about a story arc many years ago involving Tony Stark/Iron Man where he'd collaborated with someone else to develop SPIN technology: I think it stood for "Super-Power Inhibiting Nanites". The premise being that bad guys abused their powers, they would be injected with nanites to suppress those powers and render them powerless. Sounds good in theory, but who decides who is a "bad guy"?
Jennifer Walters/She-Hulk found out she'd been exposed to these nanites without her knowledge or consent and rendered unable to transform, despite her being a "good guy" and on "their side". She said to Tony Stark "as She-Hulk, I would've just broken your bones, but as Jennifer Walters, I will DESTROY you!" and she successfully sued him. Eventually she regained use of her powers.
I also remembered reading about a young girl who used a modified version of Kurt Connor's Lizard Formula to turn herself into a superhero named Komodo, but she had to plead to be allowed to keep her powers and not be injected with SPIN tech, or else she'd lose the ability to walk.
I got into an argument with a former friend many years ago who seemed to believe in painting with broad strokes: punishing or blaming an entire community for the actions of a bare few. The mentality of preventing all crime is folly, since truly wicked individuals will stop at nothing to indulge their perversions. Conversely, if people take matters into their own hands to defend themselves against a clear aggressor, too often are they treated worse than the actual criminals.
Clandestine government organizations never bode well. They operate on the pretense of "justice" and "the greater good" but eventually succumb to the lure of power, growing intoxicated on its abuse, and the slippery slope reaches its tipping point. If a secret agency devoted to combating threats and rooting out evil pledges to only attack the "bad guys", then who defines what qualifies as a "bad guy"? What happens if that definition constantly shifts? What is the logical end when an unassuming individual is prosecuted with the fullest extent of the law, while a flagrant criminal endlessly skates?
What happens when evil is redefined as good, and good is branded evil?
NOTICE
Age of Defiance is now featured on World Anvil. This is a WIP and I plan on adding to it and tweaking it periodically. Summer Camp 2022 just wrapped up a few weeks ago and there is a plethora of articles to browse. Keep in mind this is NOT a Ronin Warriors fansite. I plan on adding OAS info eventually, but for now canonical character info can be found on Theria's YST Archive. I do not have the ability to post chapters yet but it is on the to-do list. FFN's been good to me over the years so I will always post new chapters here first. Feel free to check it out for supplemental lore, minor character bios, spoilers, future plot breadcrumbs, new artwork and long-lost drawings and never-before-seen concept sketches. You can find me at: (World Anvil site)w/age-of-defiance-mardrena