-Chapter 310-
Deluge of Destruction
Forests outside Shengcun…
Lightning cracked across the sky, illuminating the darkened forest. In the ankle-deep marsh brought on by the torrent rains, Kat faced off against the Calm-Mask ninja.
"You… Who are you? Who sent you after me?" Kat demanded.
"That is of no concern to you," Calm-Mask replied coldly. "After all…" She grabbed the blade hanging from her belt. "There is no point explaining such things to a corpse."
Kat's eyes narrowed as she readied her bat as Calm-mask assumed a low stance.
"Arashi Zensei…"
Only to gasp as the ninja suddenly vanished in a soft sonic boom.
"What the…!?"
Kat felt a sharp tingle shoot up her spine, prompting her to spin around, just barely defending against a sword strike that would've parted her head from her neck.
"Gaia!"
"Fast," Calm-Mask said, appraisingly. "This may take longer than anticipated. Fortunately…" Electricity danced along the sword, causing the blade to heat up. "I have time to spare."
Calm-Mask sliced Kat's bat with a flick of her wrist, the Megatal letting out an ear-piercing screech. The noise and force of the blow briefly disoriented her, giving the ninja enough time to follow up with a kick to the head, knocking her into a tree.
"Damn…" Kat gritted out as she forced herself back up. "She's tough, but I…"
As Kat prepared to get back into stance, she noticed a sizable gash in her bat along where the blade had sliced it.
"N-No way…" she let out, her eyes wide with shock. She'd cut through her bat. Her indestructible, solid Megatal bat. "H-How did she…?"
Another tingle rushed through her body. Without hesitation, she rolled off to the side, narrowly avoiding another slash from Calm-Mask.
[By the Ancients…!] she let out. "She's almost as fast as Sonic!"
Just then, a low, creaking sound echoed through the woods. Kat's gaze turned to the tree and saw that Calm-Mask had cut through the tree she'd crashed into.
"Timmmberrrrrrrr…" Calm-Mask whispered.
A tree that was now falling down.
CRASH!
Kat swallowed nervously. "And almost as strong as Knuckles… just who the hell is she!?"
-X-
Back in the village…
The sound of the tree falling could be heard from the village, even from Lara and Wynmacher's safe spot.
"Oh no…" Lara let out, her hands over her mouth. "They've already found her!"
Just then, Wynmacher leaped from his seat.
"Wynmacher, what are you–?"
"I'm going out there," he replied.
"You're what!?" Lara shouted in disbelief. "No, you mustn't!"
"I am a Guardian, Lara, it is my sworn duty to protect the tribe from those who would do it harm."
"These warriors are unlike anything you've faced, Wyn," Lara pleaded. "You…"
"Kathryn is in danger, Lara!" Wyn shouted, grabbing her shoulders. "If I sit and do nothing, your daughter may die!"
He took a deep breath, his expression softening. "I will be back, we both will. I swear it."
the Guardian cut in, grabbing her shoulders. "I will be back, I promise
Lara paused as she looked at the burning in her second mate's eyes. His determination.
"Just… be careful," she pleaded.
Wyn nodded, then raced off for the forest.
Lara sighed, putting her hands together in prayer. "Ancient Walkers… please, look after them… all of them."
-X-
Locke let out a warcry as he made another swing at the sad-masked ninja, only for her cloudy barrier to block his blows. He tried again, putting more force behind his knuckle spikes this time, but to avail. It was like punching one of those giant "bag of beans" chairs Kathryn and her friends loved so much. Or a giant marshmallow. Either way, Locke was beyond frustrated with this opponent.
"Alright," he grit out. "That does it!"
With a roar of fury, he unleashed a barrage of lightning-fast punches. The cloud rippled and jiggled about, absorbing all the force from his blows.
"This is ridiculous!" Locke thought. "At this rate, she'll wear me out before I can even touch her!" He closed his eyes, sighing internally. "It seems I'll have to bring out my secret weapon. Blast, I was hoping to save it for someone more…"
Just then, a soft glorping sound greeted his ears. To his shock, his hands had become stuck in the cloud, which had gone from soft and bouncy to thick and viscous.
"The hell!?" Locke let out as he tried in vain to pull himself free. "What vile sorcery is this!?"
"Suiton…"
Just then, a pair of glowing, blue lights shined through the cloud, which rapidly began to turn an ominous dark grey and expand.
"Ruisenkou…"
The cloud rumbled as it burst open, unleashing a huge torrent of water that blasted Locke into a nearby wall. He grunted in pain as blood trickled down from his head, staining the walls and dripping into the soil.
"Aurora dammit…" he let out as she clutched his shoulder, forcing himself up. "Those stories do not do your power justice…"
"Do you concede, then?" Sad-Mask asked, more crocodile tears brewing. "It would be a shame to snuff out such an interesting opponent so quickly."
"You haven't seen what I can do…"
"I haven't? But why? You must show me!" The ninja sounded almost like a petulant child.
"Very well. Watch closely."
Locke closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. An amber aura began to shine around him, manifesting into something akin to sand in a dust storm. Slowly, his wounds began to stitch themselves back together.
"Is that… an earth technique?" Sad-Mask whispered. "A healing earth technique? How can an earth technique…?"
"The servers are the seven chaos…" Locke began as the wound finished closing. "Chaos is power, enriched by the heart…"
The swirling dust storm began to grow, turning into a small dirt devil.
"What the…?" The ninja could only stare in shock as she watched this unfold.
Locke brought his arms in a circle, forming a smaller one in his hands as the swirling dust coalesced in the middle.
"The controller is the one…who unifies the Chaos."
Locke's eyes bolted open, shining with amber light. He then raised his hands, causing all the dust to converge into the smaller circle he'd formed. The dust began to compact together, growing larger and more solid until it formed a huge, heavy boulder.
"Now, let me give you something to really cry about! Meteor Crush!"
Locke swung both his hands down, the boulder following his movements and flying straight for Sad-Mask at high speed.
"Oh shi–!"
The attack crashed down on top of the ninja before she could even finish her sentence, crushing her flat.
His opponent beaten, Locke took a deep breath, allowing his aura to fall.
"Haaa… take… that…"
"Holy…" Julie-Su let out. "Locke… was that…?"
"My Chaos aura?" he finished with a smirk. "Did you think I got my title as Head Guardian from just sitting around and yelling at people?"
"R-Right…" Julie-Su swallowed nervously, realizing that she and Kat were very fortunate. Had Locke been more like the horror stories her family had fed her, Locke's threats to throw them off the island would have been very literal. She didn't have time to dwell on this though, as a soft groan came from the nearby wrecked wooden cage.
"Knuckles!"
"Oh my!"
Julie and Locke were immediately at Knuckles' side.
"Oh Aurora…" Julie let out. "Is he…?"
"He'll be fine," Locke assured. "He's experienced far worse than that little light show." He winced as looked over Knuckles' in sympathy. "Though I fear he will need time to rest and heal. Even Chaos Healing will take at least two day's time."
"Poor Kat…" Julie shook her head. "Those two were looking forward to this so much."
Locke sighed. "Let's head back to the others, we need to get out of here in case more ninja arrive."
Julie nodded and ran to help Locke carry Knuckles to safety. As they left, neither one of them noticed streams of blue energy rising from underneath the boulder and drifting into the sky.
-X-
Even before she began fighting the mechanical minions of the Robotnik Empire, Dulcy had faced all kinds of opponents. Bandits, warring clans, and - of course - she'd even faced a few ninjas. Facing such a wide range of threats evoked a lot of feelings in the dragoness. Fear, righteous fury, or - sometimes - pity or remorse. But, 'Happy-Mask', the ninja she was facing right now, gave rise to a new feeling…
"Eeeee-heehee-hee-heeeeeeee!"
Confusion.
"Oh good, goody, goody! The Freedom Fighters have come out to play! I can't wait to show you all my new ninja techniques! It's gonna so. Much. Fun!"
Dulcy's confusion gave way to perturbation as the ninja suddenly did a little happy dance, a sight only intensified by the designs of her mask: a great, big, laughing smiley face with gaudy, flowery pink designs.
"Damn you…" Jian grit out.
"Awwww…whatsa matter, Janjan?" Happy-Mask asked with a cutesy pout. "You used to love playing with me."
"Oh, drop the giggly goofball act!" the tigress snapped. "We both know it's a load of crap!"
"Hold on, you know each other?" Dulcy asked, looking between the two.
Jian let out another growl. "I told you, it's none of your business!"
"She's trying to kill my friend! That makes it my business!"
"I told you, she's mine! You'll just get in the way!"
"Oh no, please don't fight!" the ninja pleaded.
"You stay out of this!" Jian shouted, before returning her attention to Dulcy. "That…woman is a dangerous assassin, I'm the only one of us who can take her on."
"Hey! I fought my share of assassins too!" Dulcy countered. "Including you back in the Bamboo Backwoods!"
"Yes, and you lost."
"Liar! I had you on the ropes before Kaitian found Cinder and she blew everything up!"
"I must have hit your head then, because it was the other way around." Jian scoffed. "Either that or you just kept telling yourself that until you believed it. Typical ryu."
"Jian, I swear to Seiryu, if you don't shut your mouth, I'll–!"
"Yoohoo!"
Jian and Dulcy froze as they remembered that they were supposed to be taking care of Happy-Mask…who was currently looming above them, sword raised above her head in preparation to cleave them both in two.
"Here we go! Ninja Sneak Attack!"
She swung her sword in a wide arc.
"Get down!" Jian ordered, prompting her and Dulcy to duck just in time to avoid getting their head and entire upper body sliced off. Having missed her attack, Happy-Mask disappeared, laughing the entire time.
"Whoa!" Dulcy patted herself down in shock. "What was that?! I thought only Sonic could move that fast!"
"Windstepping," Jian explained. "It's a technique that uses qi to manipulate the air around you, letting you move at high speeds. It's one of the first things they teach new ninja."
"Seriously!?" Dulcy swallowed nervously. "How are we gonna stop that?"
"You aren't doing anything," Jian corrected. "But I'm doing this…"
Jian lowered her stance as she took a deep breath.
"Suiton…"
As she did, icy mist formed around her tail.
"Hyoukashou!"
Jian stabbed her tail into the roof, causing small, white nodes to grow everywhere. As soon as the nodes grew big enough, they burst into shapes resembling blooming flowers, coating the surface in a layer of ice.
"Come on…" Jian whispered as the ice flowers bloomed. "Where are you?"
Just then, one of the blooms burst…
"Eek! Cold!"
"There you are!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Jian sped toward the source of the cry. She spun her bladed tail and was met with a metallic clang as it stopped in the air.
"You never could stand the cold," the tigress said with a smirk. "It's why you kept having to do waterfall training over and over again."
The air rippled as Happy materialized before her.
"At least I'm not stupid enough to get into an argument with my teammate in the middle of a fight!"
Jian grimaced in shame. "Yeah…that was dumb."
Jian parried the Happy's blade, then swung her tail-blade, intending to slit her throat; only for the ninja to block her strike and parry. Undeterred, Jian thrust her tail-blade forward to try and impale her foe, but she dodged it effortlessly.
"You're getting sloppy, Jian!" Happy taunted as the tigress continued to try and stab her. "The old you would've grazed me at least once!"
Jian ignored her, preparing to make another stabbing attack. Once again, Happy saw this. This time, however, she blocked it.
"Pathetic," Happy said, her voice suddenly taking on a colder, more menacing tone that sent chills up Jian's spine. "If you fought like this when you were still in the clan, I'd have personally slit you open from tip to tail."
Jian grimaced in disgust and what appeared to be anger, but otherwise kept her cool.
"Is that supposed to scare me?" Jian scoffed. "Because it didn't."
"That you feel the need to tell me that says otherwise. Your time away from the clan has made you slower. Duller. Weaker. I was going to take you back to hanayome-sama (1) to face judgment, but now I think I'll just bring back your severed head." Just then, she started giggling, going back to her normal self. "Maybe she'll put it on the wall!"
Jian chuckled. "And how do you plan on doing that without a sword?"
Krr-rack! Krr-rack!
"Huh?"
Happy looked at her sword. To her shock, a layer of ice was rapidly forming over the blade and her hand. Ice that was springing up from Jian's tail.
" Gotcha," she said confidently, pulling her tail away, leaving Happy with her sword and hand encased in ice.
"No! My sword! My hand!"
"Your legs."
"Huh?"
Just then, more cracking sounds came out, prompting her to look down. To the ninja's horror, the ice from the roof was spreading up her legs.
"Wh-What's going on!?"
"Just something I picked up during my time away from the clan," Jian replied. "It's over, you're trapped."
"And now, you're gonna get roasted!"
Jian stiffened in fear as she looked over her shoulder to find Dulcy looming overhead, a bright, hot flame glowing in her mouth.
"Dulcy, no!" Jian cried out, but it was too late. The dragon unleashed a stream of fire, completely engulfing Happy. The ninja let out a wail of pain as the flames engulfed her, melting the ice and leaving her charred.
"Ahhh!" Dulcy let out happily. "That should clear out my sinuses for a while."
"Dulcy…" Jian let out. "You…"
"Nice work there, Jian!" the dragon replied happily. "You really nailed her with that ice flower attack. You think maybe you could teach me how to…?"
"You idiot!" Jian shouted as she kicked Dulcy in the head, knocking her down.
"J-Jian?"
"I told you not to get involved! That I had this under control! Now look at what you've done!"
Dulcy looked at Jian, then at Happy's charred body. "It's okay, that was a qi attack! She's alive, just a little crispy."
"That's not the point, you fool! I was trying to trap and capture her!"
"Well, she's out cold, so we can still do that."
"Not when she dissipates into ether!"
Dulcy raised an eyebrow. "Ether?"
A mirthless giggle greeted the girls' ears, prompting them to turn to Happy, whose body was beginning to dissolve into pink energy trails.
"No!" Jian shouted as she ran to her downed opponent.
"Jian, wait!" Dulcy cried out as she went after her teammate. "Jian, what are you talking about? What's going on!?"
"Just shut up! I need to stop her before she reforms!"
"Reforms?"
"Rai…ton…"
Jian and Dulcy turned to the ninja. The blackened assassin's body was crackling with electricity.
"Oh no…" Jian whispered.
"Raiou…Jikkou…mei…"
The last thing Jian saw before the world went white was Happy looking directly at her. Half her mask had been destroyed, revealing the charred face of a Mobian lynx with orange eyes…and sick, twisted grin.
"Ran…tao…"
-X-
In another part of the village, the angry-masked ninja walked down the rain-soaked roads.
"Finally…" she muttered testily. "I thought that damned jutsu would never trigger. I knew it took time to build up power, but that was ridiculous. I didn't even use it… at…"
She stopped in her tracks. If one could see her eyes, they would probably be wide with shock from witnessing the devastation where Bunker and Cinder once stood.
Smack in the middle of the road was a deep, smoking crater surrounded by a huge, circular scorch mark; the end result of the massive lightning strike. The vegetation surrounding the impact site had been completely vaporized and the buildings - while still intact - were covered in bits of ash and scattered bits of soil.
"No way…" Angry-Mask let out. "It did all this damage?" After taking a moment to regain her bearings, she began to chuckle darkly. "I take it back, it was well worth it."
It was then that she felt something brush up against her foot. She looked down and saw a piece of partially charred yellow fabric caught on her boot; a scrap from Bunker's robe.
"Ha! It was definitely worth it!" Angry laughed as she picked up the singed scrap of cloth. "Not even the mighty Master Bunker can stand against the might of the Raiju!"
Angry stood there, laughing uproariously as she basked in her victory.
"And with her out of the way, nothing will stop me from taking out that damned, gaijin whelp."
"Is that so?"
Angry froze her hand going to her sword. "What the…?" She looked around trying to find the source of that voice, but there was nobody else there.
"It can't be…" she whispered, taking a few steps back. "I'm hearing things. There's no way she could have surviiiiiaaaaAAAAAAAH!"
The ninja screamed in shock, flailing her arms wildly as she fell backward. After about five seconds, she finally hit the ground, landing flat on her bum.
"Agh! Itetetetetete…!" She grit her teeth as she rubbed her backside, then let out an annoyed growl. "Gods-damned, backwater, yokel dump! Even the freakin' ground is falling ap–!"
"Now, now, settle down, dear. There's no need for that language."
Angry spun around, drawing her blade at the person behind her…
"Goodness!" Bunker the Tortoise cried out, her clothing looking more tattered and singed. "You should be more careful with that, young lady. You'll put somebody's eye out with that."
Angry responded by shoving the blade closer to Bunker's own eye. However, the old tortoise easily caught it between two fingers, not even flinching.
"What did I just say?"
"Damare, Kame-oba!" Angry snapped. "Do you have any idea who I am?"
"A very angry little girl," Bunker replied, confident and unblinking.
"I am Yamaneko Rantao! I am the mightiest warrior in Yurashia! I am the one who will be Bride of the Conquering Storm!"
"I see… that's very interesting," Bunker replied, eliciting a growl from Rantao.
"You dare mock me?"
"Oh, no, no, no…" Bunker replied placatingly. "I was keeping you busy while Cinder finished her sculpture."
Rantao paused. "Sculpture?"
While Rantao was distracted, Bunker yanked her blade from her hands. Her opponent disarmed, she put her hand to the ground, causing the ground beneath her to soften, trapping her from the ankles down.
"Cinder!" Bunker called out as she leaped out of the pit. "Show our guest your handiwork!"
"Hai, Sensei!"
"Dammit… get back here, you…!"
Before Rantao could finish, a large section of the pit wall opened up, revealing Cinder standing in a narrow corridor, and with her…
"N-N-N-Nanisore!?"
Was something that made Rantao nearly soil herself.
-X-
Back topside…
BOOM!
A column of fire and dirt erupted from the pit, launching a substantial amount of dirt and rock into the air that proceeded to rain down on the village. Among the displaced raw earth, however, was something white and elegant: Rantao's mask. The mask fell to the ground, bouncing along the cobblestone road several feet away from the pit before stopping right in front of Bunker.
"Well now," the tortoise said as she picked up the mask. "It would seem she wasn't as powerful as I thought."
Bunker ran a hand over the mask as she looked over it. On the surface, it was just an ornately decorated porcelain mask. However, Bunker could sense strong qi emanating from it. Very strong qi.
"Then again…"
A soft rumbling pulled Bunker from her thoughts. Looking down, she saw part of the earth bulge and distend before opening up.
"Whew! I made it," Cinder let out as she crawled out from the hole.
"Welcome back, Cinder," Bunker greeted. "Did [Miss Rantao] like your sculpture?"
"Mn!" Cinder nodded eagerly. "It really blew her away!"
"Of course it did," Bunker replied. "That was the idea."
"Senseeeei…" Cinder whined, before she noticed the mask in Bunker's hands. "Sensei, isn't that the ninja lady's mask?"
Bunker nodded. "Indeed."
"Wow…" Cinder leaned over to get a closer look. "It's really pretty."
"And unusual," Bunker added.
Cinder blinked in confusion. "Unusual?"
"It's giving off an abnormally high level of qi."
"But that's just a mask. I thought only living things had qi?"
"They do." Bunker grimaced. "Which means…"
Just then, a large crack formed along the mask. Then another, and another. Finally, it crumbled into pieces, which evaporated into a misty, red energy and drifted up into the heavens.
"Just as I suspected…"
"It…It turned into qi!" Cinder shouted.
"No," Bunker shook her head. "It was made of qi. That ninja was a shadow clone made by a jutsu."
Cinder's eyes widened. "Just like the kind Onee-chan's old clan uses…"
"We need to find her and Dulcy. Now!" Bunker said.
"Hai!"
-X-
Back in the forest…
Kat hadn't felt this cornered since facing off against Tundra. The gash in the metal of her bat had filled her with such anxiety that she felt like she could barely breathe. The severity of the threat before her had just made itself achingly clear and she knew she couldn't be reckless. The metal of her bracers began to glow, then the latches undid themselves, dropping into the water with heavy splashes. The puddle at her feet began to bubble and boil, steam rising from the surface as flames danced around her damaged weapon.
"So, you've finally decided to use your power," Calm-Mask said.
Kat said nothing. She just rushed at the ninja and swung. Calm-Mask casually learned to the side, avoiding the blow; only for some of the fire to catch the corner cloak, which quickly began to spread.
"No!" Calm-Mask screamed, showing a hint of emotion for the first time as she threw it away, revealing a purple ninja gi.
Taking advantage of the lapse in her opponent's focus, Kat swung again…striking Calm in the side of her right leg. There was a loud crack as Calm screamed, crumbling into the water with her leg bent in the wrong direction.
"Let's see if you can use that fancy ninja speed with a broken leg!"
Calm stumbled to her feet, stabbing her blade into the ground to keep herself from completely collapsing; but she was clearly no longer in fighting condition.
"Kuso…" she hissed. "I'm beginning to see how you became such a thorn in that bastard's side."
"And exactly who did I piss off so much that they sent the great Yamaneko Rantao after me?"
Calm paused. "I see my reputation precedes me."
"Jian told us all about you after we got her out of Suzaku. That and the ears." Kat pointed to the top of her head. Calm - or Rantao - growled as she felt the top of her head and realized that in discarding her cloak, she had discarded her means of concealing her identity.
"Yeah, pretty sloppy mistake for one of the most infamous ninja in Yurashia. Maybe you got rusty after failing to kill Cinder? How long were you rotting in a cell? A couple weeks? Months?"
"Long enough to think about what I intend to do to that striped traitor once I get my claws on her," Rantao replied.
"And yet here you are, fulfilling a hit on a fifteen-year-old from fugg-off nowhere."
"Any ninja worth their salt knows how to handle multiple targets." Rantao grinned under her mask. "Like how I handled each of your friends."
Kat's fists clenched around her bat, but she refused to rise to the bait. She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly as the flames around her shimmered in the rain.
"I have faith in my friends. They won't fall to the likes of you and your cronies."
"What cronies?"
Kat paused. "The other ninja you brought along with you. You'd have to be crazy to take on an entire team of Freedom Fighters on your own."
Rantao nodded. "You're right, I would… and I am."
The air seemed to grow heavier as Rantao's body gave off a serene, green glow.
"Maigo ni nattari, samayottari shite iru kodomo-tachi yo,-ka ni modotte kitara watashitachiha mata issho ni narudeshou. (2)"
The hairs on the back of Kat's neck stood on end and she took a few steps back.
"Her qi…" she whispered. "It's…"
Just then, something blue flew past her.
"What the… Sonic!?" Then something, pink, then red. "What in Gaia's name…"
Kat watched as three, different colored streaks of energy flooded into Rantao, merging with her own green aura, which began to glow brighter and turn a radiant orange.
"Finally… I'm back to my old self again!" Rantao stood up, her leg popping back into place; the bones mending. "Allow me to introduce myself properly…" She reached for her mask… "I am Yamaneko Rantao, master assassin. Mightiest of the Raiju. Future Bride of the Conquering Storm. And today…" She removed her mask, revealing the face of a Mobian lynx with a vicious, predatory grin. "I am your Shinigami."
"No way…" Kat let out.
"Arashi Zensei!"
Once again, Rantao disappeared with another sonic boom. Unlike her previous use of the technique though, this boom was much bigger and powerful; enough that Kat had to shield her eyes and plant her feet firmly on the ground to avoid being blown away.
"Good Gaia…she's even stronger now!" Kat thought. "Was she holding back? No, I could feel it. But then, where did all this power come from?" Then, it dawned on her. "Of course… She must have split her power somehow. I was only fighting a fraction of her! And even then I was struggling! Just how strong is…?"
Kat felt another tingle run up her spine. Rantao was attacking. She could worry about that later.
Kat spun around, holding up her bat just in time to block Rantao's sword strike once again.
"Grrrgh! Again!" the lynx growled. "Just what is that damned tetsubo made of!?"
"The strongest metal in the world," Kat explained. "One not even you can break."
"Is that so?" Rantao's grin redoubled as her blade began to crackle with electricity, turning it red hot. "Let's test it then!"
Once again, Rantao shoved Kat's bat away, slashing along it with her blade and kicking her into another tree.
"Aiyaaa…" she grit out as she got up. "Hit by the same trick twice in one fight… good thing Knux isn't here, he'd never let me hear the end of…"
As she got back into stance, Kat noticed something was missing. "What the… where's my bat? Did I drop it? But I…"
She gasped; her eyes widening in shock. She was, in fact, holding her back… or rather, half of it. The Robot Crusher had been sliced cleanly in half; the cleavage plane from the lower half in her hand red hot and smoking.
"No…" Kat whispered in disbelief, her eyes drifting about to find the other half lying at Rantao's feet.
"Strongest metal in the world?" the ninja lynx scoffed in disappointment. "Doesn't seem that impressive to me. Then again…" Her grin returned in full force. "Few things are."
"Y-You bitch…" Kat grit out, her phoenix aura flaring up. "That bat was…!"
Just then, several kunai struck Kat along her arm, pinning her to the tree.
"I don't care what it was," Rantao cut in coldly, her hand extended outward. "It wasn't strong enough to fulfill its purpose. Ergo, it was worthless. Much like you and your friends."
Kat growled. "I'll show you worthless, you…!"
She attempted to summon her aura once more, only to be shocked when it started to die down.
"Wh-What?" she let out, horrified. "How!?"
"Your precious Phoenix qi is strong, but it's still qi. Surely a student of the 'great Master Bunker' would recognize a simple meridian seal?"
Kat attempted to summon her aura once again. She was able to get a small glow going, but it burned out just as quickly.
"Honestly, you should consider yourself lucky," Rantao continued, drawing her sword. "Getting you away from those damned friends of yours was annoying. If not for them, I would've been able to kill you as soon as you set foot in this dump." Rantao's grin returned in full force. "But, it was worth it, in the end. Now, I can finally get that damned bluejay off my back and go home."
Kat froze as Rantao loomed over her. Despite being only slightly taller than Sonic, she was like a giant in the eyes of the young human. An unstoppable force of nature capable of destroying anything… or anyone in her path.
"Now, Kathryn Winters," Rantao said as she raised her blade. "Do us both a favor and DIE!"
Time slowed down as Kat watched as Rantao brought her blade down, her life flashing before her eyes as the sharpened steel inched closer and closer to her small, defenseless form. But, right before it could reach her…
SMASH!
"GAAGH!" Rantao let out a pained scream as she went flying.
"Huh!?" Kat let out, snapping out of her trance. Following where Rantao had gone, she saw that she'd crashed into another tree. "What the… what hap…?"
"My apologies…"
Kat's gaze returned to where Rantao had been standing, seeing the imposing form of none other than Wynmacher. His expression was serious as he pulled his fist back, nodding in satisfaction.
"I would have arrived earlier, but this is my first time here."
"Wyn…macher…"
Kat felt like she wanted to cry. All of the fight left her and she collapsed, Wyn was quick to catch her before she splashed down into the puddle. He scooped her up like she was five and not fifteen, letting her lean on his shoulder.
"There, there," he consoled. "You are safe now."
There was a groan from the tree Rantao had hit, making Kat tense as Wynmacher's hard face returned. He faced the defeated ninja, his tone stern and almost reprimanding.
"I would stay down if I were you. If you do not…" His eyes briefly sparked crimson. "I will be forced to strike you for real."
Rantao didn't move from her spot, nor did she make another sound. Wyn nodded before reaching into the water, picking up both of Kat's discarded bracers and the broken halves of her bat. Slinging them into a sack he had on his back, he adjusted his grip on the semi-conscious girl in his arms.
"Very good. Now…" the echidna looked around the forest. "Which was the way back to the village?"
Kat weakly pointed the way she originally came.
"Ah, thank you, Kathryn."
With that, the two left, leaving Rantao lying among the broken foliage only able to wheeze in pain from the super-powered punch.
-X-
With Rantao behind them, Wynmacher began his trek back to Shengcun.
"Wynmacher…" Kat whispered. "Thank… you…"
"Shhhh… save your strength, Kathryn," the Guardian replied. "There will be plenty of time to talk when we get back."
"Mmmnnnn…" Kat nodded. "Baba…"
Wyn paused, his eyes widening, having recognized the word from the girl's books and her conversations with Knuckles.
"Ba…ba…!?" he let out in shock.
"Wǒ bùshì gùyì yào mílù de. Xièxiè nǐ zhǎodào wǒ…(3)"
Wyn sighed in relief; she was only lost in a memory.
"Sweet dreams, Young Kathryn…" he said. "Sweet dreams…"
After all, him, a father? How silly.
Author's Note:
(1) Japanese for Bride
(2) Japanese for "Lost and wandering children, come home and we will be together again."
(3) Chinese for "I didn't mean to get lost. Thanks for finding me."
And just like that, Rantao is beaten, Kat is saved, and everything is right with the world... for now.
A word from WindstarOsprey:
Before any longtime Archie fans start rounding up their torches and pitchforks over how we portrayed Conquering Storm - or Rantao as we've dubbed her - and her power level, please take a moment to hear me out.
Yes, I am aware that this version of "Connie" is weaker and more arrogant in the foolish way than how she was in canon. This is by design. The Tales incarnation of her has yet to become the Bride of the Conquering Storm. We thought it would be interesting to explore what she was like before she earned her title and see the path she took to acquire it. This fits, as she appeared to be the youngest of the four Brides, suggesting she hasn't held her position as long as the others. As a result, this incarnation of the character still has room for growth. By the end, she will be closer to her canon self; but that is a story for another time.
Don't forget to R&R. 'Til next time!