Courting The Jester

Chapter Thirteen: Part Three (Final Part of 13)

"Bring it!" Ryo snarled, leaping up in the air. His hands swept together, bringing his katanas end to end. They came together with a click, bursting into flame in Ryo's hands. He spun the weapon above his head as he came down, aiming for the fountain Damian was perched on. Ryo's adversary rose, balancing on the balls of his feet and leaning slightly forward towards the descending Wildfire. An eager expression filled his face only to be replaced by surprise when Kento jumped up behind him, grabbing him around the shoulders
"MOVE!" Rowen roared, almost at the same instant that Cye grabbed Nikki about the waist, yanking her up and out of the way. Mia scrambled to her feet and lunged sideways, away from the devastation of Ryo's attack
"Flare up, NOW!" Ryo cried as he brought his swords down on the figure trapped in front of Kento. For a split second Ryo almost stopped the attack, but the furious expression on Kento's face drove him down into their enemy. There was a blinding white flash, then everything exploded around them. Flame engulfed the fountain and the three figures on it, blinding them from view. Steam hissed up, replacing the clearing smoke. A panting Wildfire could be seen standing among the rubble, small puddles of evaporating water at his feet. A slightly charred Hardrock was on his back not too far away, struggling to rise.
"He slipped away at the last second---" Kento started, only to be slammed face down by an invisible attacker.
"Kento!" Sage shouted, jumping forward and brandishing his nodachi. A startled Kento was instantly jerked upright and this time thrown headfirst into Halo. Both armored men went flying, crashing to the ground in a heap.
"Sage! Kento! You guys alright?" Rowen yelled, jumping in front of them and spinning around, trying to see their enemy through the remaining steam.
"Uggg," groaned Kento.
"Yeah, try it some time with Talpa," Rowen quipped, notching an arrow into his bow. "Cye, you see this piece of shit?" he called over.
"All I see is steam and you guys," Cye replied, brandishing his yari from his place by Nikki.
"Don't look for him," Nikki snapped, "you won't find him! He'll go for our weak spots!"
"You mean you, little one?" Damian asked behind her, his hand wrapping around to grab her by the throat. He yanked her backwards into his body and lowered his mouth to her ear, purring almost seductively. Cye swung around instantly but was stopped by the warning expression on Damian's face, aware their enemy could break her neck with one quick snap of his hands.
"I can taste you, sweeting," he whispered, tongue flicking out to her neck. Nikki flinched away but was held frozen in his grasp. "Your fear oozes from you, drenching you deliciously." Her eyes went wide as his fingernails cut into her skin, a thin line of red dripping down her throat.
"I remember you…you always did taste the best-" His words were cut off by an arrow punching deep into his chest, followed by an armored fist slamming into his face. Damian staggered back, releasing Nikki. Strata landed between her and Damian, dark blue eyes furious as he notched another arrow.
"Die, you son of a bitch!" Rowen snarled as he drew his bow back. The figure in front of him regained its balance, smiling as it jumping forward, placing the center of its chest right in front of Rowen as he loosened his arrow. Gold ripped right through Damian and buried itself ten feet behind him. Damian smiled evilly at Rowen as he rubbed his cheek against the bow of Strata. Rowen stared at him in disbelief, even as Damian reached out and punched his hand through Rowen's armor, his arm sliding sickeningly up to his elbow in Strata's chest.
"Death is only for mortals, little one," Damian purred, twisting his arm. Rowen went pure white, his knees buckling.
"NO!" Nikki screamed, throwing herself at Damian, clawing at his face. He snatched her hand up and thrust it forward, deep inside Rowen, withdrawing his own hand as he did. Nikki went deadly still, staring in horror at the man in front of her. That's when she felt it.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

There was the roar of a tiger and the sound of steel striking down on rock. There was shouting and a taunting echo of laughter. Then everything went silent.
Something snapped inside Nikki and she fell back, staring at her blood covered hand in horror. She didn't realize she was screaming until a hand clamped over her mouth, and arms wrapped around her, lifting up. She was finally slipping, losing it, she thought with calm detachment. Congratulations. The bastard had finally figured out what would send her over the edge. Rowen…
Waves of reassurance and protectiveness started flowing over her, but Nikki refused to acknowledge them, lost in her own mind. Someone was screaming, an irritating buzzing in her ears, but it was far away from where she was now. Far away…
You're not going anywhere, a voice drifted through her thoughts. You're staying right here with me, even if I have to tie you up and sit on you.
Leave me alone Cye, Nikki thought.
Not bloody likely. Definitely not until you stop all this racket, he chastised, even as he surrounded her with comfort. He's not here anymore. He's gone. You're alright now, Nik, so come back to us. We need you. No one else can keep Rowen in check.
Rowen's dead…Damian killed him. Then he made me feel it.
No, Nikki. Rowen's alive. It was another one of those illusions. Strong enough to scare the hell out of all of us, but not real. Come back to us now.
She tried to fight it a little more, but he was too comforting, too stable. Finally she gave in.
Fine, she grumbled, but you're paying for my therapy, buddy.
Yours and mine both, he chuckled, even as she felt herself being swept back towards reality. Someone was still crying but it had quieted to ragged sobs. Strong arms continued to hold her, and she decided it was okay to hide there for awhile longer. Maybe if she hid long enough this could all disappear and she would be in non-Ronin-normal-land again.
"She's coming back," Nikki heard a smooth voice say, "but she put up a fight about it. How's Rowen?"
"In shock. Sage said that he's physically alright, it wasn't actually real. He suspects that Rowen might be bruised pretty badly under his armor, but that's all. "
"It's real enough," Cye muttered under his breath.
"Well, it wasn't real enough to kill him, which it otherwise would have done. But I was right there, Cye. I thought for sure that bastard had killed Ro. I've never seen something that horrific in my entire life." There was a pause then Cye whispered almost inaudibly.
"The battles are so fast, and we never can get a hold of him…How the hell are we supposed to fight this thing, Ryo?"
It was the twinge of despair in Cye's voice that cut through to Nikki, getting past the horror she'd just seen and felt. The despair that was so horribly familiar coming from that optimistic mouth.
Nikki forced herself to uncurl and sit up. Two heads hovered over her, both looking grim despite the encouraging smile Cye gave her. Torrent was covering his fears quickly in an attempt to protect her, and this time, Nikki leaned forward and gave him that hug she'd wanted to give him for the last two hours. Cye looked surprised then squeezed her back.
"You're okay now," Cye said reassuringly as Ryo stood up. Nikki just smiled at him weakly. She pulled her knees to her chest and looked around. The center that they had stopped in looked like a hurricane had blown through it. The nearest building had been reduced to rubble, as had the fountain. The air still smelled of sulfur and blood, wrenching at Nikki's stomach. Rowen.
Just another image she'd spend years trying to forget.
Ryo had moved away from her and Cye and was now kneeling next to Sage, the still form of Strata hidden behind their armors. Mia was searching through the rubble, trying to piece together what was left of their equipment. Her pretty face was drawn tight, and she avidly avoided looking in Rowen's direction. She did however glance over at Nikki, and for an instant she looked just as scared and horrified as Nikki felt, but then her face smoothed away into that bland callousness.
"And the award goes to…" Nikki muttered under her breath as she slowly stood up, confusing the warrior at her side. An orange body stepped between her and Mia, cutting off Nikki's train of thought. Kento was gripping his staff tightly, dark eyes constantly glancing between the others and the surrounding area. He looked worried. He looked pissed.
"We need to leave here," Kento told Cye shortly, eyes giving Nikki a once over before moving on. Nikki watched him warily, not used to this kind of decisive behavior from Kento. He had always been the most easygoing of all of them. Now he was the most direct, and those kind brown eyes looked through her a little too thoroughly. Nikki realized then that she had underestimated him. They all had, Mia especially. He wasn't going to make any of this easier for them like before.
As Kento spoke, Sage and Ryo both leaned over and each took one of Rowen's arms, pulling the warrior to his feet. Rowen swayed dangerously between them before righting himself. He skin was drained of color, but his eyes seemed sharp as they swung around until they landed on Nikki. She blanched, eyes dropping to his chest and the armor that looked battered but not broken through. There was no hole in him. Still, Nikki's stomach lurched and she turned away. Rowen shrugged off the help of Sage and Ryo and moved purposefully towards Nikki, if not with excessive stability.
"Are you okay?" It was not the smart-ass comment she had expected from him, which threw her off, as did the hand that grabbed hers. Rowen laid her palm against his chest plate deliberately.
"Look at me, Nikki." His voice was commanding and she reluctantly obeyed. Dark blue eyes looked seriously into hers. He rapped her fingers against the metal.
"No hole. Nothing. Not real. Are you okay?" His words drove into her, and she nodded agreement at him.
"Say it."
"I'm alright, Rowen," Nikki replied weakly. Rowen nodded, satisfied.
"Good, because we need to keep going. Now." There was a strength in his voice that calmed Nikki despite herself. She took a deep breath, collecting herself as best she could. Cye looked at Rowen and an understanding passed between them that Nikki didn't get. Cye fell in behind Rowen, Nikki finding herself following suit.
Rowen went back to Sage and Ryo and muttered under his breath, "Just don't say anything." Ryo just nodded but Sage rolled his eyes.
"If you pass out in front of her, it ruins the whole effect," Sage murmured placidly. Rowen gave him a dirty look but Sage merely raised an eyebrow. Kento joined them, White Blaze at his side. Mia stood slightly behind, outside the group, a torn and blackened bag swung over her shoulder.
"You good, Ro?" Kento asked. Rowen gave him a cocky grin that was only slightly spoiled by the flicker of pain in his face.
"Dandy," Rowen said. "Now where the hell is that second seal? Cause I already don't want to play this game anymore."
Eyes went to Nikki first then to Mia. The red head stepped forward, limping and dirty. She brushed a stray strand of hair out of her face as her eyes narrowed.
"All I know is that it is supposed to be in the core of darkness. I assume that means the center of this place." She pointed behind her towards the descending path. "Somewhere down there."
It wasn't a comforting suggestion. The deeper they went into this place, the more unsettling it became. The pale green light still brightened the abandoned city, but the shadows between the buildings were dark and becoming darker with every footstep they took. What lay the heart of this place was merely speculation. Yet to Nikki, along with the darkness that came with each step, a sense of recognition and déjà vu came as well. Deep down in her soul she knew where they were going. Just because she hadn't traveled there on foot meant nothing.
"Echo my ass," Nikki muttered under her breath, "This place is the real fucking deal." Mia's head snapped up and she leveled a hard glare at Nikki. Nikki didn't care enough anymore to look away. Sage raised an eyebrow and Kento grunted sourly.
"Do you have anything more to go on than that?" Sage asked Mia. "Like what form this new seal will be in?" His voice was neutral. There was no hint of the anger that had gripped him so fully earlier, but there was no warmth either. Ryo had said to let their issues lie for now, and Sage had always followed Ryo, in body and in behavior.
"I don't know Sage," Mia said. "The last seal came in the form of an amulet. It was beautiful, a complicated piece made of interlocking crystals. That one was found by Kayura, in a place of light and peace. The one we're searching for is in a place of darkness. My best guess is that it is the same, only of different colors. Black crystals maybe. I'm not sure."
Nikki's jaw dropped, but she quickly clamped it shut. No one seemed to notice.
Sage nodded, although he seemed less than satisfied with Mia's answer. Ryo shifted his weight and looked at the city stretching down away from them.
"Alright," Ryo declared strongly. "Wherever the heck this seal is, we need to find it as soon as possible. I don't want to risk another encounter with that Damian creep if I don't have to. Our weapons don't seem to be much of a help. Keep an eye on Blaze, because he seems to be the only one who can get an idea of where that guy is."
Ryo paused, then added, "And just because he keeps playing these tricks on our heads doesn't mean he's not powerful enough to really pull them off. I'm not burying any friends because of this asshole."
Ryo glanced at Rowen and then turned, marching purposefully into the city. The others followed him resolutely, weapons drawn and ready. Nikki fell into place beside Mia, eyes straightforward and murmuring under her breath.
"So…" Nikki said conversationally.
"What?" Mia asked.
"So you just described to them the amulet that took away their memories. Nice touch, the part about the original one being light colored and this one dark. Now why exactly are we telling them to find that? Especially since Kayura had it last time I saw?"
Mia's eyes never strayed from the backs of the warriors they were following. Kento had ranged to the right and back slightly so that the girls weren't bringing up the rear. Mia lowered her voice even more to compensate for his proximity.
"I don't think Kayura has it any more. No, don't look at me! Look straight ahead. I don't think Kayura has it. I'm willing to bet money that where ever that amulet is, the second seal is there as well."
"Why would you say that?"
"Because I think that Kayura tried to get the second seal already. And that she lost the amulet in the process. I think she knew that the first seal wasn't working. Maybe we needed both of them activated for it to be strong enough to keep him away. I don't know."
"She's the fucking ancient, Mia! The most powerful of them all now that the Inferno armor is gone! Are you serious? What happened to her then!"
"Shush! Keep your voice down. Kento is looking at us," Mia snapped with a completely smooth face. "I don't know exactly what happened to her. I only have my theories." Mia reached up to touch the necklace at her throat before continuing.
"We thought that using just one of the seals would be strong enough to keep him away, but he must have found his way through. It's almost more important that we find that amulet than we find the second seal. I want that second seal, but if we have to we can just take everything back to the beginning again, and deal with those consequences then. We need that amulet."
Nikki raised an eyebrow and asked acidly, "We need it for them or to cover our own butts? It obviously didn't work out too well last time." At Mia's stony silence, Nikki sighed, then changed subject.
"What does the second seal actually look like? The first was so small..."
"I think it's a book," Mia answered.
"The same book that we saw outside?" she asked on a hunch. Mia nodded. Nikki's lip twitched in satisfaction.
"I knew that I'd seen the ‘triumphant Mia' expression before you covered it. How are we supposed to find it though? And how exactly are we supposed to use it? Do we read it? Do we toss it at his head, spine first? What?"
Mia pursed her lips thoughtfully.
"I don't know how to use it. I'm not one-hundred percent sure how Cassie used the last one. But I think that they will lead us right to it, Nik. Somehow the Ronin armors must have known that Dam..he was breaking down the seal. I think that's why they started combating the memory suppression lately. Their armors have been fighting the effects of the amulet even harder since we came down here. The armors want to find the amulet to destroy it. The armors want them to have their memories back. But if they think it's the seal…"
"Then they won't destroy it, despite what their gut feelings tell them. Mia, this is cruel. We're playing them against their own armors. It's wrong."
Mia's eyes flashed as she snapped, "What's the better option, Nikki? That they destroy that amulet and everything comes back? Do you remember how they were at the end? At least weakened, Damian gives us a reprieve between attacks. Do you remember the constant onslaught back then? Do you really want to repeat that? Damian would just love it if they retained their memories."
"No, he wouldn't," Nikki said back morosely. "He'd already won that game. Now he gets to play a new one. But the first seal must be holding a little. I saw his face right before he hit Rowen. I think he really did intend to kill him, that's why I tried to stop him. He wasn't strong enough to punch through Strata's armor. Then he covered with the illusion." Nikki shuddered at the memory, despite her analytical tone.
"He definitely isn't sticking around very long for the fights," Mia acknowledged.
"Why do you think that Kayura already tried to get the second seal?" Nikki asked curiously.
"Because she told me." Nikki raised an eyebrow, and Mia clarified. "She left me a warning message."
Nikki was silent a moment, then her eyes widened.
"The statue. The writings on the book. You could read them," Nikki added accusingly. Mia shook her head.
"No. It was in a different language, the same language that covers these buildings. All except a part at the bottom." Mia drifted off, and when she spoke again her voice betrayed her distress.
"The last part was in a language I knew, but no one else would have, except for maybe Rowen. Or possibly Cye. I didn't know that Kayura had any idea about it. It was my grandfather's code. We're lucky that the appearance of the statue freaked out Rowen so much that he didn't look too closely at it. She left me a warning, Nik."
"Which was?"
"She said …‘The devil isn't the only creature that emerges from the dark'." Silence fell between them and Nikki felt a coldness settle into her bones. She looked around at the silent stone and shivered.
"We're all alone in here, aren't we Mia?" Nikki whispered softly to her friend. Mia said nothing, but after a moment reached out to squeeze Nikki's hand.
"It's okay, Nik. We're doing the right thing."
"Mia, are we doing the right thing? Mia?"
"…Yes. We have no other choice."
Nikki looked sharply at Mia and dropped her fingers.
"That shit only worked on Cassie, Mia," Nikki said, wrapping her arms around herself and increasing her stride. "Just tell me what I need to do to get this over with." With that Nikki went ahead to walk alone. Mia sighed and fingered the necklace at her throat.
"Are we doing the right thing, Mia?" she asked herself softly. Then she saw Kento staring hard at her, his face stony, and Mia dropped her necklace. They were doing the right thing. She had to believe that. Mia let her hands fall loose to her sides and followed her one time best friends, the people who were still her entire universe, people she had sworn to protect no matter what, for their sake and the world's. She followed them down into her own personal hell. It was the right thing to do. It had to be. And she wasn't planning on telling even Nikki the second part of the message Kayura had left, the part begging for Mia to help her.

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He sat crossed legged in front of the statue, running his fingers over the cold stone that had been fashioned into an open book. He laid his palm down on the surface of the page, ignoring the pain it caused him. Not yet. It wasn't time quite yet, but soon. He grinned and rose, moving back towards the entrance of the cave. There was still time to play before work had to be attended to. There was always time for one more game.

-----------------

It was the opposite of a normal city. The deeper they moved into the place, the further away each building was from the next. They rose higher and higher, slick beautiful monstrosities of stone that gleamed seductively. At the same time they sucked at the light, drawing more and more away from Sage's sword, letting the light sink inside. The darkness between each one grew thicker, black and inky even when Sage asked Halo for more illumination. Cye shifted uncomfortably, listening to Ryo and Rowen talk quietly.
"Did you catch any of what those two were saying back there?" Ryo asked Rowen. The blue haired man grimaced and shook his head.
"No. I tried, but there's no wind in here to carry their voices even this far. Armor-aided eavesdropping isn't what it used to be."
"Not that you ever used that particular ability on the rest of us," Ryo commented blandly. Rowen shot him a wolfish grin before sobering. Both men's eyes scanned their surroundings intently, calculatingly.
"We're not alone in here, are we?" Rowen muttered. Ryo glanced at him out of the corner of his eye.
"You okay back there Cye?" Ryo asked suddenly over his shoulder. The warrior of Torrent murmured yes, but Rowen looked back at his friend. He'd caught the same feelings coming off of Cye that Ryo already had. Cye looked pale in his armor, red hair contrasting starkly with his skin. Despite the coolness of the air, sweat beaded down his face, and his hands gripped his yari too tightly.
"What's up, Cye?" Rowen murmured, slowing so he could fall into step next to his comrade.
"Something's…off," Cye said tensely, eyes casting around. Sage raised his head, having been concentrating more and more on the light of Halo, his face starting to show the strain of maintaining the illumination for so long. His eyes narrowed.
"I feel it too," Sage put in. "Like something is tugging at my armor. But that's been there ever since we came here."
"No," Cye said shortly, slapping his hand down on the shaft of his weapon. "No, something more…" He drifted off and didn't finish his sentence. Ryo didn't say anything, eyes intent on their surroundings. Sage glanced at him again and the light flickered, momentarily letting the buildings around them fall into darkness.
"Sage!" Cye snapped, swinging his weapon out towards the buildings. The light brightened again, but Cye's eyes never left the buildings. Ryo's eyes had bulged as he stepped back, but he didn't say what he had seen. Instead he swung around to find Hardrock.
"Kento!" Ryo roared, "Get everyone up here NOW!" Then quiet enough that the girls couldn't hear yet, Ryo spoke between clenched teeth.
"Sage…Don't let the lights go out."
Mia hurried up to them, gripping her bag tightly. "What's going on?" she asked worriedly. Ryo jerked a hand up, cutting her off. The only sound was the quiet scrapping of steel being drawn, making Nikki shiver.
"Keep…moving," Ryo snarled at the group, turning his back to them and moving around so he was behind. Hesitantly Rowen started walking again, gripping his bow and reaching slowly for an arrow, as if quick movements would give them away. Ryo walked backwards, eyes glued to the path they had just traveled. Kento mimicked his leader, his eyes flickering constantly.
"Mia, any better idea of where this seal thing is? Now would be a good time to say," Rowen growled, and Mia turned to him, eyes wide. The coolness was quickly being replaced by fear.
"Your…your armors should draw you to it," she stammered, before muttering to herself. "Why I go into these situations without any weapons at all…"
"You have five weapons, Mia," Nikki snapped back. "You just don't want to use them."
"Don't start now, Nikki," Mia shot out.
"God forbid…" Something flickered at the edge of her vision, making Nikki start.
"Both of you, shut up now!" Cye snapped, uncharacteristically harsh. "Ryo, did you…?"
"Yeah, I saw it. Just a flicker though."
Kento jerked around, cursing. "It's over here," he growled.
"Not if it's over here," Rowen murmured, notching his arrow. "I can't get a good look at it though, it's moving too fast."
The light dimmed again, and Sage cursed, unusual for him. Mia realized that he was gripping the sword of Halo with both hands, his face straining. Sweat slid over his skin and his arms were trembling.
"Sage!" Mia cried.
"Something's…something's pulling at the light. Sucking it up. I can't…can't hold this much longer…" Sage gasped, stumbling. Mia grabbed him to keep him from falling, staggering under the weight of Halo's armor. The light dimmed again, dipping dangerously low.
Nikki thought very seriously about hyperventilating at this point.
"Sage," Rowen said thickly, sighting down his arrow as he swept it back and forth, following dark fleeting shapes, "Hold on for us buddy…I almost have it…"
"Hurry, Rowen!" Sage said through clenched teeth, sliding down to one knee. Mia tried to pull him up as best she could. White Blaze started to growl deep in his throat.
"I hate it when he starts doing that," Nikki whispered to herself. "It's never good."
"Almost…" Rowen muttered. The light dipped even lower, bringing a squeak from Nikki, despite herself.
"Almost…" TWANG.
The golden arrow ripped into the darkness. Something screeched in pain, high pitched and startling. Then everything went still. No flickers. Nothing. That's when the first murmur reached their ears. The first angry murmur. Then came the second. Then the third.
"Rowen..." Nikki whispered. "I don't think that was a good idea." The smug satisfaction that had come to Rowen's face melted off as understanding crept in. Then regret. Then fear. The murmurs began to build in volume, like an angry crowd with tempers flaring. It came from all sides. Instinctively everyone tightened in on each other, backs and shoulders hitting.
"Guys!" Mia cried, drawing their attention to Sage. Halo had fallen to both knees, slumped over, gripping his sword with every ounce of strength he had. Mia was barely keeping him upright, staring at him helplessly. A shadow passed through the sword itself, eliciting a moan from Sage, his eyes clenched shut.
"Ryo…" Sage whispered. "Ryo, I can't…not much longer…I'm sorry…"
Wildfire straightened, looking at his comrades. A wave of cold passed over him, chilling him down into his bones. His blue eyes held each of theirs momentarily. He might not understand why he was their leader, but their leader he would always be. Ryo let his eyes linger on Mia's frightened face for a moment longer. Her expression softened and she whispered, "Ryo…"
Then Ryo stepped away from the circle.
"Cye, Kento, Rowen. Protect them from me," he ordered clearly. "Do whatever it takes."
"Ryo! What if this is just another illusion?" Rowen demanded.
"It's not," Mia whispered.
"How do you know?" Rowen cut in. Mia's face was pure white as she knelt by Sage.
"Because…" she whispered, "‘the devil isn't the only creature that emerges from the dark'."
The murmurs had increased in volume, a crescendo of angry roars coming from all sides. Nikki whimpered and searched for a weapon of some kind. Finding nothing, she reached for Mia's bag, yanking out her laptop. She brandished it in front of her like a shield.
Something passed between Ryo and the other three Ronins, and they moved to form a triangle around the girls and their comrade. Ryo took another step back from the safety of their circle. Then he brought the ends of his swords together with a click. Sage cried out, collapsing against the flat blade of Halo's sword. The light flickered once. Twice. Ryo closed his eyes as the roars abruptly ceased.
Then the lights went out.

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"Ryo, have you ever noticed that you always go flying in trying to save everybody without any thought for yourself? You never hesitate. You always jump right in. It's terrifying." He had the grace to blush slightly, running a hand through his hair. Then he turned those kind eyes on her.
"Mia…have you ever noticed that you do it too?" She looked away, embarrassed.
"…I never want you guys to ever get hurt," she admitted. " But I usually just end up getting in the way."
"Mia, do you know what the difference between us is?"
"What?"
He touched her underneath her chin and smiled that beautiful smile as he said,
"Absolutely nothing."

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It was hauntingly familiar, the sight of three glowing spheres of light surrounding the girls, the tiger, and Sage. Ryo felt like he was looking back in time, listening to the sound of crunching feet as the Warlord of Cruelty bore down on the then naïve and untrained Ronins. Only this time the circles of light weren't protection from the enemy. They were protection from him.
The Wildfire armor shuddered a warning and Ryo turned, his back to his friends. Armor enhanced vision pierced the darkness, and Ryo tightened his grip on his katanas involuntarily. They're everywhere…
And they were everywhere. On the building tops, clinging to the smooth stone walls, dangling from windows, perched on fountains, filling the street, pawing at the barrier around his friends with long fingertips, around him, at his feet, breathing right behind his ear. The stench filled his nostrils, creatures of darkness that undulated like a living blanket as they moved, ripples of death pressing all around them, pushing at him. Pulling him down into them.
He attempted to fight down the rising panic. He'd been in worse. He'd seen worse. Talpa and his legions were worse. He'd seen worse…
The keening started, building faster until it was a high pitched scream ripping through his brain. Ryo cried out, clamping his hands involuntarily over his ears. It pushed him down to his knees, painfully driving out any coherent thought he'd previously possessed. What might have been nails dug into his armor, pulling at his strength, sucking it away. Fear tore through Wildfire, and for a moment he was lost.
"Ryo!" he heard a female voice cry out in terror, and he knew without seeing that his friends were being overwhelmed. Rage, burning white hot, enveloped Ryo. The roar of a tiger barely broke through the onslaught, but it was enough to reach Ryo, reminding him who was protecting and just what it was that he had come to do. He forced himself up, past those groping, biting grips, raising his joined katanas above him. He prayed that the combined strength of his three friends was enough to protect the others from what he was about to do. Ryo waded deeper into the flood of creatures, closing his mind away from the shrieks surrounding him.
Ryo burst into flame, liquid fire rolling down his legs and up his arms to his weapon. The creatures touching him fell back, retreating from the light and heat.
That's the difference between us Sage, Ryo thought with calm detachment as he stared at the ocean of darkness laid out before him. They feed off of your light and goodness. But I'm just as destructive as they are. They consume only light, but I consume everything! My armor feeds off of them.
A younger, less desperate Ryo would have been terrified at that admittance to himself. But this Ryo reveled in it. He was trapped hundreds of feet inside the earth, scared and outnumbered. But if he was going down, he would take every single one of them down with him.
There was no Armor of Inferno to fight, to hold back. There was only him. Ryo wasn't aware of the first row of creatures bursting into flame as he let loose the destruction that filled him. In fact, as fire ripped through the street, over the small group of people huddled in fear between three balls of light, down through the city, across the cave, consuming everything that stood in its path from ceiling to floor, Ryo wasn't aware of much at all.

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Mia had thought that the terror of the creatures pressing down all around them, screaming and dragging at their strength, couldn't ever be matched. That was until the sheet of flame. She had seen it coming, had felt it coming. She had fallen to the ground, body pressed protectively over Sage's, staring up at their shield when the wall of heat hit them. It had slammed them so hard that Rowen and Cye had staggered back, almost breaking the defense barrier. Only Kento had remained steadfast, while the others tried to regain their bearings.

It was like being burned alive, without the disastrous consequences. Cocooned in a ball of safety Mia'd watched for the first time, without flinching away, the ultra ballistic power that belonged to Ryo. Even after it had died down, rolling off their defenses like water, Mia had remained on her back over Sage, quivering in shock. He'd let loose in a way he never had before…Ryo had almost destroyed everything, including them!
There was a creak of armors and a chorus of groans as the three standing Ronins released the barrier. Rowen and Cye reached out and gripped each other for support while Kento leaned over and spat, crimson on his lips from where he'd bitten his cheek in pain.
"I almost couldn't hold that," Rowen admitted, voice strained and raspy. "If you hadn't held firm, Kento…" Rowen trailed off. Kento said nothing but glanced at the girls. Cye had slipped to his knees and was breathing deep, calming breaths. He looked shaken, which wasn't surprising. His armor was the compliment to Ryo's, and excessive fire would affect him the most.
Kento shook himself like a dog, turning and moving to the center where Nikki and Mia remained frozen. He helped Nikki to her feet first, then Mia. Then he knelt down, looping Sage's arm over his shoulders. Halo had regained consciousness, and his sword was once again glowing, but he was pale and drawn. Kento turned and Sage reached out to grip Mia's hand momentarily, violet eyes exhausted. There was a measure of peacemaking in that gesture. Mia stared at him wide-eyed, then pulled away quickly, turning her face from everyone to hide the tears welling up in her eyes. The action didn't go unnoticed but they had more important things to deal with.
The fact that Ryo had destroyed the city being one of them.
Everything was gone, burned down to ashes despite being stone. Everywhere they looked, only charred crumbles remained. There wasn't a noise or a flicker or a sign that there was anything else there but them. Much further down what had once been the street they'd been following, remained one lone structure, previously hidden by all the others. Despite the fury of the Wildfire armor, it stood unmarked, a squat pale building only slightly higher than the others had been. Unremarkable, except for the fact it was still there.
Ryo stood twenty feet away, his back to them, completely still. The Ronins looked at each other questioningly, as if loath to disturb their leader after his fight. Mia took a deep breath and marched up to Ryo. She had to stop a couple feet away from him, the heat radiating off his armor overwhelming.
"Ryo?" she asked softly. "Ryo, are you okay?"
His voice was quiet and curious as he answered.
"Did you know my armor could do that, Mia?" he asked. "Did you know I could destroy that much?"
"No one knows the true potential of these armors, Ryo," Mia replied. "That's what makes them so dangerous. But are you okay?" He laughed, sounding out of place after all the fighting.
"Did you know that I'm not even tired? Inferno always drained me so deeply, but these new armors…It felt right to let go like that."
"Ryo…" Mia started worriedly, then he turned to her. The worry on her face was mirrored by his own, but the leader of the Ronins was trying to pass it off. Mia just gave him a weak smile, which Ryo returned. She tried to pretend she wasn't suddenly very nervous in his presence.
The others moved up, Kento supporting Sage, Nikki's arm around Cye's waist, and Rowen looking a bit peeved.
"Well, buddy," Rowen commented blandly, "at least you narrowed down the options of where we're going."
"Does anyone else feel like this is too easy?" Cye asked them quietly. "Like we're much too sure we know where to go?" Nikki and Mia exchanged a look but Rowen just snorted derisively.
"Cye. We're in a cave looking for something. There is now only one place left to look. That place right there. You don't have to be a genius to put two and two together."
"Don't be a jackass, Rowen-" Nikki started but Ryo cut her off quietly.
"No, he's right Ro," Ryo said, "Something feels off. But something's felt off since all this started. So we follow where we're led, and just see where it all ends up, okay?" Ryo looked briefly at Mia, then smiled again, shaking his head at something no one else understood. The tiger moved to his side, tail flicking. The others had no choice but to follow their leader, down to the cold stone structure that awaited them, not even the girls knowing just what they were walking into. He trailed afterwards, skipping every once in awhile and enjoying himself immensely, face split in a grin.