"…Before their time is gone, they rage on.
Against the lives that this world gave them,
hoping something's there to save them, they
rage on…"
--"Rage On" by Dan Seals

***
Chapter 12:
The Battle Rages
By Darster and Satori Shiro

The scene changed to an ancient battlefield littered with empty armors and rusted weapons of ancient warriors that fought in a war long forgotten. A few bare trees stood in the field like old sentries keeping guard over the wasteland. The whole field was all an illusion. Something Raven placed to make the battle more interesting.
She looked around her surroundings and found them very strange but interesting. An illusion put up by Raven, great. To put it bluntly, Lady Kayura was pissed. The anger boiled inside her as she circled her opponent, ShadowRaven's champion, and she cursed the both of them. Damn him, she thought, for humiliating me like this and making me a spectacle in the eyes of my own people. Then again, these demons and dark knights that filled the seats in this battle arena were not her people. Her people cowered in their homes from the demonic menace that took over the Nether Realm after Talpa. She was their only hope. Anubis was dead, the Ancient was nowhere to be found, and the Ronin Warriors, the heroes from the mortal realm, fought their own private battle. I am not going to let him win, she thought determinedly. I am going to win my freedom and get out of here.
She checked her anger, knowing Raven would use it against her given the chance, but Kayura hid it away, deep within herself, using it as motivation. She looked into Kimiko's eyes, at the cockiness blazing there, and knew it would be the woman's downfall. She need only let her use it.
Kimiko glared coldly at her opponent, wondering why the master wasted her time like this. No matter, she thought, I will finish the 'Empress' off for him, and then we can concentrate on that pesky child.
"I see you are eager to get this over with," Kayura noticed.
"Of course, I have better things to do then stay here and fight a weakling like you," Kimiko replied without missing a step.
"Well then, let's finish this."
Kimiko grinned evilly in response, releasing only a fraction of her dark power toward Kayura, in a dark stream that headed straight for her heart. Kayura unsheathed the Starlight Swords as she called the full Armor of Starlight. She crossed the swords in front of her, and Kimiko's blast refracted off them, heading straight back toward its maker. Kimiko barely dodged the blast, then barely survived the flurry of blows from Kayura's swords as the former Lady of the Nether Realm crossed the battle arena in one fluid, dexterous movement. Lady Kimiko called her own battle armor and long sword, and the dance began.

From his makeshift throne high in the stadium, ShadowRaven watched the match play out with sadistic glory. He marveled at Kayura's swift dexterity, even after being held prisoner so long, yet Kimiko's cold hatred made her a deadly opponent as well. Truth be told, Raven had no idea who would win the battle, but the sheer entertainment was well worth the price of a small change in plans should any surprises occur. The rest of his plans remained on target, and he anxiously awaited the arrival of his bride to be.
The dream portal opened beside him, distracting his attention from the battle below for just a moment. It centered on the empty city outside the castle walls, Where the secondary battle was going on within. The girl ran wildly through the city streets, trying valiantly to loose his new chess piece. In turn, the boy sprinted after her, mesmerized by Raven's spell. What entertainment! Raven thought gleefully. The battle outside seemed a bit more entertaining than the one inside. The two outside made perfect dance partners, the link between them allowing each to know what the other would do before they did it. Raven realized his spell held better than he thought possible, and another change of plans formed in his mind. Perhaps he could use the boy to turn the girl to his side after all. Her power would be very useful in his plans.
ShadowRaven sent a mental command to his newest pawn. Bring the girl to me, alive. He then turned back to the combatants below, enjoying the battles on both fronts.

Y r S w T

Auburn stopped short as the stone wall loomed up in front of her. She inhaled sharply, trying to catch her breath, and glanced about to find herself walled into a dead end alley. Wonderful, she thought, as she searched valiantly for another exit.
Cody's shadow loomed across the alley exit, and she froze, shifting her brain in gear to try and find a way to deal with his new persona. Unfortunately, her heart happened to be in complete control, and she could only stare dumbly as he stepped into the small circle of light emitted by the Stone of Protection. That's all the jewel seemed to be useful for at the moment.
Those dark coals scanned her with interest, and he grinned sadistically as he stepped forward and backed her into the wall. "Looks like the end of the line, sweetheart."
"Don't make me do this, Cody," she pleaded softly, her voice cracking to reveal the fear she felt within herself.
He threw his arms into the air helplessly, as if in a fit of anger. "There you go again, putting all this onto me. I told you, I've never felt so free in my life. It's your pesky conscience bothering you, not me. Why don't you just make it easy on yourself, and give up?"
Her mind whirled suddenly, stopping on the astral plane where Auburn found herself staring at her mirror image. The white and green of Auburn's battle aura blazed around the image and her red hair flared out around her head as though it was living flames. She wielded the Armor of Nature, and stood cockily with her arms crossed, glaring somewhat at her alter ego.
"What are you doing?" her spirit sister asked in obvious disdain.
"What am I doing?! Who the heck are you, and what are YOU doing?" Auburn shot back incredulously.
"You are really new at this, aren't you, kid?"
"Just what is that supposed to mean?"
Her spirit self sighed. "I'm your yoroi, your armor."
"What?!" Auburn reeled back from the realization. "Do you mean to tell me my armor is alive?"
"Very much so milady, though not in the way you might think."
"Uh huh," Auburn stated for lack of anything better.
"You seem to have once again gotten yourself in a fine mess. Handling the situation beautifully, as usual." Her yoroi continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh, and I suppose you have a better idea?"
It's true, Auburn thought, I've finally gone crazy. I'm talking to my armor. No one ever mentioned this. Then again, no one mentioned much of anything about the armor.
"As a matter of fact, I do, but only if you let me take over and handle this."
"Wait a minute, what do mean 'take over and handle this?'" she asked dubiously.
Her yoroi self smiled a knowing smile, saying nothing. Auburn disliked the gleam that developed in her eyes, and the way the jewel around the spirit's neck darkened. Intuitively, she read her other self's notion, and panicked.
"No. No way. My virtue is protection, remember?"
"There comes a time when even Nature must protect herself, and those around her at any cost."
"Forget it. I don't care who or what you are. The end does not justify the means."
"With Nature, it does," her yoroi said, cutting off the connection.

The exchange seemed to take forever, yet it was only instants before Auburn came back to herself and moved again.
"Not on your life. And believe me, I can make that happen."
The words were hers, but the tone of icy calm they radiated was not. The Armor of Nature seemed to take on a life of its own, finally re-appearing on her body in its white-green mix, as if the Armor itself took over. Instead of her controlling it, it was now controlling her. Auburn felt the odd calm that came with complete loss of control, and she felt the elements of Nature gather around her as the Armor gained power. She channeled the energy into a flaming ball of power that she tossed easily in one palm, threatening the young man standing before her.
Cody's eyes widened in shock as the armor appeared. He didn't think she could use it against him, but it didn't matter. It was all a distraction anyway. The master had just sent him a message to bring the girl in to him. This may take a while now.
"Ooh, baby, light my fire," he said cockily, taking a defensive stand.
"Back off. I won't ask again."
He egged her on with a wave. "Bring it on babe."
"So be it, but I take no responsibility for the consequences," Auburn said as a partial disclaimer before releasing the energy upon her lifebonded.

Y r S w T

Born only partly of the mortal dimension, the hawk winged easily through the dimensional paths, searching for Auburn's ancestor, the only one able to help the warriors in their quest. She found the ghostly figure standing on an odd gray plane, looking slightly distraught. She swooped down, anxious to give him the treasure she'd found in her search, and perched delicately on a solid shoulder. Odd for a ghost, Bird mused, but he was far from an ordinary ghost. She let out a soft cry into his ear, letting it grow louder as the spirit ignored her. Finally, she grew irritated with him, and took drastic measures to gain his attention.

THWAP! Anubis found himself dining on bird feathers as the offending wing retracted back to its position on the brown hawk resting on his shoulder. She cawed at him in irritation, and danced impatiently around his head.
"I see you follow directions as well as that thick headed descendant of mine. Are you not supposed to be helping the Ronin Warriors in their battle?"
The hawk seemed to laugh at him, then grew serious again, lifting off and dropping a small object into his open palm. He turned it over, surprised to find his kanji crystal glowing with the Kanji of Loyalty.
"Where did you..." he started to ask Bird, then stopped. It was a ridiculous question, one the hawk would not be able to answer for him anyway. It didn't matter where she'd gotten the crystal, what mattered was how he was supposed to use it.
"What would you have me do with this? I'm a ghost."
The hawk merely circled above him, cawing impatiently for him to follow.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming," Anubis called grudgingly, disappearing after the precocious aviary.

Y r S w T

Mia's doorway seemed like the gates at the Kentucky Derby as Rowen, Rei, and Mia jockeyed for position to get out of the way of the shadowy demon that was attacking them. Rei cleared the door first, followed closely by Mia, with Rowen not far behind. Rowen searched for signs of the spirit's reappearance, which Rei's scream promptly gave away. The demon stalked toward her with unerring movements, and Rowen realized that she was the creatures intended target. With no thought for himself, he leapt for the demonic warrior, hoping to succeed where his sure kill failed.
The living shadow barely noticed Rowen's attack, and it turned away from its target long enough to shake Rowen off like a wet dog. The Ronin of Strata sailed through his element, and landed hard on the ground several feet away. Stunned, he tried to sit up and help Rei, but the warrior knocked the wind out of him. He could only stare helplessly as the shadow once again advanced upon Rei.
"Get away from me!" Rei screamed, dodging the attacks with unbelievable dexterity. Who is this guy?
She backed toward Rowen in hopes of helping him recover. We're running out of options here, she thought wildly. Phoenix, this would be a good time to show yourself, she thought as she looked up to the sky in hopes that her prayer was answered. She yelped in surprise as the creature made a grab for her.
"Rowen, DO something!" Mia screamed at him as he struggled to regain his footing. Mia didn't know what to do. She just stood there, watching as the dark warrior continued its relentless pursuit of Rei.
"Quake with Fear!"
The shadow warrior became entangled in a mass of chains as Anubis' sure kill raced across the field amongst three astonished looks. Bird cawed from high above and circled like a vulture waiting for scraps. He knelt next to Rowen, who stared in disbelief at the solid figure that now wore the Armor of Cruelty.
"Anubis?" He asked slowly. "How...?"
"I have no idea myself. But there's no time to figure it out. I have the strong feeling that those chains will not hold him for long."
"Great, so what do we do? He absorbed my arrows like they were made of water, and seems invulnerable to anything else. The only thing I know for sure is that he wants Rei in a bad way."
Anubis helped Rowen to stand, and said despairingly. "We better think of something, and quickly."
Rei could not believe her eyes. The ghost that had been helping her was back. She looked at the ghost then at the tangled warrior and then back at Anubis. Hey, he's solid again, she thought as she watched the two conversed with one another.
"Look, I don't know about you two but I am out of here! This place is weird enough as it is for me and I don't think my mom had this in mind when she told me the stories."
It felt strange that Mia did not protest or anything as Rei pulled her along into the woods with her. I guess she is just as shocked as I am, Rei thought.
"Wait! Don't go in there!" Rowen yelled after the two retreating forms. "Anubis, stop them! We have to go after them."
"Why? What's wrong?"
"First of all, the bad guy is gone," he said as he pointed to the empty pile of chains, "and second, the last I saw of the guys, they were in the woods fighting with Sekhmet, Dais, and Cale! Those two could be caught in the crossfire!"
"Oh, that is not good. Let's go then!"
The two ran through the trees without hesitation, following the trail that the two women left in their wake.

Y r S w T

Sage watched his opponent carefully in hopes of catching an opening in his guard. This is so strange, he thought as he blocked a poorly placed shot. Cale is not attacking me like he used to. What is going on? Cale had entered right after Dais appeared. Sage thought there was something going on but was not sure what until Rowen called them for help. Sage wanted desperately to head back but he feared that Cale would cause more danger then they really needed at the time.
"What is the matter Cale? Are you losing your fighting spirit?"
Cale did not answer nor did he attack. He still reeled from Auburn's attack, and hadn't quite recovered his wits.
"Oh I remember now," Sage stated as he remembered the night's event, "you were defeated by a girl!" Both of their blades crashed together in front of them in a stand off.
"What did you say?"
"You heard me," he grunted as he tried to pull his blade away from Cale's. "She sent you running back to the Nether Realm with your tail between your legs, Dork Warlord of the Dynasty."
"Those will be the last words you ever utter in this life!"
Enraged, Cale started to attack with a vengeance. "Once I am through with you, I will search for that wench and teach her some respect!" He attacked as if to punctuate every word with Sage's blood.
"Looks like she already taught you some," Sage managed to spit out between parries.
I guess it was not a good idea to make him mad. Sage started to feel more tired with every blow that he blocked. I just hope the guys are doing better then I am. He looked around the clearing searching for a way out of his situation. A slight movement to his right caught his eye. Someone was standing there and was watching them!
Cale noticed his opponent's distraction and decided to capitalize on it. He jumped a few feet back and swung his sword around in front of him chanted the words he knew very well, "Black Lighting Strike!"

Y r S w T

The two had stopped in a clearing to catch their breaths. This entire 'running for dear life' thing was not something these two were used to. Knew about it and experienced it yes, wishing to do so daily, no. The forest was cool as the sun starts to set in the horizon, making the sky change colors. Rei looked around her, gawking at her surroundings. The last time she was in a forest like this one was when she went camping with her family all those years ago.
Her father and brother was out by the river fishing for dinner while Rei and her mother fixed the camp site, waiting for the men and the food to come. Oh the fun they had cooking the small fishes the men had caught and marshmallows Rei had wanted to buy for the trip which burned in the campfire. Was it that long? Could it truly have been ten years ago?
"He sure is a lively fellow isn't he?" Mia stated pulling Rei back to reality, a reality that she truly wanted to escape from.
"Who?"
"That shadow demon. He doesn't talk or anything. He just continues on with his mission without any hesitation what so ever. The perfect solider in other words."
"Yeah. Does this sorta thing happen around here a lot? I mean do you always have demons and warlords and such just pop up out of nowhere and start attacking?"
"Well, yeah sorta, I guess," Mia thought about the first time Talpa's castle showed up in the clouds above the city. "That is how I met up with the guys. I guess you can say we sorta ran into one another."
"Hey, did you find anything useful in that old book of mine?" she said pointing at the book that Mia was holding.
"Yeah," she said as opens the book and flips to the pages. "The legends fortold the stories of the battles that Samurai Troopers fought just a couple of months ago in detail! It that was very strange but very useful if I had it at the begin of Talpa's invasion."
"Samurai Troopers?"
"The guys."
"Oh. Well did it say anything about our current situation?"
"Yeah, but it is cryptic and I didn't get some of it. Maybe you know what it means." Mia quickly flips threw the book to find the page she was looking for. "Here it is. It says, '...when the warriors good unite with the powers of eternal flames in the world of darkness, the demon lord will breathe his last breath. And all the worlds will burn to bring in a time of change.' Strange, huh? All the other stuff was not as cryptic as this one. I wonder why." Mia snaps the book shut, which caused a sharp snap.
"Come on, let's keep moving," Rei said after a few minutes of standing there thinking about the line.
"Where to? After all, we can't outrun the guy."
"I don't know. I was hoping you might know where to go," she smiled sheepishly at Mia.
"Why don't we head for the mountains--" Rei puts up a hand to silence her. "What is it?" Mia whispered.
"I don't know. It sounds like clashing swords to me though." Rei strained to hear which direction the noise was coming from. Finally finding it, she points toward the west. "That way," she pointed. With her curiosity getting the better of her, she quickly proceeded to go and see what was going on.
"Wait!" Mia yelled but it was too late for the girl had disappeared from her sight once she cleared the tree line. "Man that girl can be as stubborn as Yulie!"

Y r S w T

In another section of the woods, two lone warriors stood, searching for their opponent who was playing a little game with them. This is almost too easy, he thought. Could they truly be this gullible after all this time?
"Hey Ryo, where did he go?" Kento asked behind him.
"I don't know. He is around here somewhere," Ryo replied.
"There he is!" Without any more words the two warriors charged in with their weapons drawn and ready to do some major damage to Dais who appeared right between them.
"So you two found me, I hope you like my surprise," he said as they came at him.
"Shut up and eat dirt magic man!" Kento yelled as he powered up is sure kill. Oh this is going to be good, Dais thought.
Ryo saw his opportunity when he saw Dais was going to make a break for it as Kento started his sure kill. Just as Dais was about to jump out of the way, Ryo jumped in and made a grab for him. To his surprise, Ryo went right through the warlord! An illusion! "Kento! Wait!"
"Iron Rock Crusher!"
Realization came too late for Kento as his sure kill came baring down on Ryo.

Y r S w T

The two women danced through the field, weaving in and out of attacks. Both of them had managed to get in a few good hits but they each were still standing. After the last attack, Kimiko decided to finish their little dance.
"This dance ends now, Empress," she said with confidence. She had noticed that Kayura was not up to par and she appears to be tiring out. She quickly jumped into the air and called upon her powers. Her dark power starts to surround her, gathering in large amounts on her sword. She calls it forth to do its destructive work on her opponent. Watch milord, for this is the end of your stupid little game.
Feeling the time is right, she released her gathered energy at her target screaming, "Dark Skies Burn!"
Kimiko brought her blade down from its position above her head and pointed the tip at Kayura.
Kayura knew that this was coming and she was prepared, sorta. She stepped back and braced herself against the onslaught of electricity and dark powers that she was so familiar with. This ends now, she thought as she slowly collects the energy and readied it for use against its creator. She did not wish to collect too much of it for she was afraid that too much could change her back toward the darkside or at least the use of its power. This she did not want.
As Kimiko finished her power discharge, she looked at the spot where her opponent was expecting to see a big black spot where she was. To her surprise and dismay the Empress was still there, alive.
"Now it is my turn," she huffed at the woman that is standing in front of her. She lightly gripped her swords and started her sure kill. She gathered her energy with the energy she gathered from Kimiko and brought them all together in a powerful display of force. Finally unable to hold on the force any longer, she sent it on its way.
"Star Swords Scream!"
The immense power totally took Kimiko by surprise. She was not expecting that much power coming from someone that was held without food or water for over a month. This was the price she paid for her overconfidence, lying on the ground covered in dirt and burnt armor. She was too exhausted to get up, but she was able to turn her head to see what was going on. She saw that Kayura was still standing, visibly leaning on her blade. She turned to Lord ShadowRaven as the cheering and sneering subsided as he rose from he makeshift throne.
"Lady Kayura, you have won this battle and because of this, you have won your freedom. But I see you are in no condition to leave at the moment so I ask if you would like to stay for a spell to rest up."
"Thank you for your kind offer, but I think to would be best for me to leave."
"Ah, so be it." Raven then turned to his second-in-command in disgust. "As for you, you are now demoted to lieutenant in the ranks for your failure. Remove her from my sight at once!" Several servants quickly entered and carried the now unconscious Kimiko out of the arena.
"I think I best take my leave now, Raven," Kayura said from where she stood watching the procession take the wounded off to who knows where.
"I think not."
"But you said that if I win against your champion that I would be set free," she said, fuming at the man on the throne.
"This is true, but I did not say how," he replied, grinning evilly at her. Before Kayura could do anything, she was hit by Raven's dark energy, sending her reeling for her reserves to keep from going out like a light. His power flowed over her in waves, causing her to sway. Then she noticed it, her dark powers, the powers that had long been taken away from her by Anubis starting to make their return. Wildly, her mind tries to push it all out but it seems the harder she tries the stronger it becomes. Her body was weakening from the battle with no time to recover and this new assault totally eradicated her mental walls, allows the darkness to enter once more.
"Noooo!" she moaned before completely going into the darkness that awaited her. Her body was wracked with dark energy that could kill a normal mortal in seconds.
"You are now mine Lady Kayura, my new second-in-command. Welcome back home." He laughs as he watched she slipped into the dark corners of her mind, trapped by her darker self.
Check and mate, Raven thought gleefully. My plans are intact. Now, to tie up one more loose end. He laughed at the literal meaning of the intended pun, and opened up the dream portal, to reveal the battle outside the castle walls once more.

**************
to be continued...

Greetings everyone! Here is chapter 12 and boy is it a dozy! I hope you understand everything that is going on because there is more to come! Well, I guess it is time for the usual request. Questions, comments, flames, etc., they are all welcome here. Just send them here. Well, Ciao for Now!

-Satori ^_^