Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Ronins Together Again ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

Standing outside on the front lawn, the Ronins and Warlords watch the darkness. Lady Kayra stays near the house, making sure that the children do not enter the battlefield and cause a distraction for their fathers.

“Web of Deception!”

From out of nowhere, an attack is sprung from the darkness of the forest. Jumping out of the way, most make it out of the trap, except for Dais and Kento. Separated now, the Ronins and Warlords enter the forest to find the enemy.

Finding himself alone, Sage keeps his eyes moving. Keeping his sword at the ready, Sage walks further into the woods and the darkness. Hearing the sound of a snapping twig, Sage whips around to find Cale standing behind him.

“Cale?” asks Sage, cocking his head.

“Hello, Halo,” replies Cale, as he walks toward Sage.

“Did you see who attacked us?” asks Sage, as he steps toward Cale.

“No,” replies Cale, raising his sword. “I'm only sorry that he missed.”

Jumping back, Sage brings his sword up in defense a second before Cale attacks him. Strike and block. Strike and block. Slowly, Cale drives him further into the woods, further into the darkness.

* * * * *

Near the house, Kento has gotten back to his feet and stands with Cye. Noticing something out of the corner of his eye, Kento steps away from Cye to investigate. As he moves away, Kento hears a noise from behind and turns around to see Sekhmet walking up behind Cye. Thinking nothing of it, Kento turns back and continues to move toward the woods' edge until he hears the sound of blade striking armor. Whipping around, Kento sees that Cye is down on the ground with Sekhmet standing over him.

“Cye!” shouts Kento, as he runs to his friend's aid.

While running toward his fallen friend, Kento notices someone else moving toward the battle. It takes Kento a moment to realize what his eyes are telling him. What the hell? A second Sekhmet? Raising his staff toward the Sekhmet that is standing over Cye, Kento advances.

“Get away from him!” says Kento, thrusting his staff into Sekhmet's face.

“He's mine, Hardrock,” says the real Sekhmet, as he joins Kento to face the other Sekhmet. “No one impersonates me and gets away with it.”

“Who says I impersonate you?” asks the first Sekhmet. “Perhaps you are the imposter?”

“I may be crazy, but I know that I am no imposter,” replies Sekhmet, raising his blades.

As the two Sekhmets face off, Kento slips in and pulls Cye out of the way.

* * * * *

Only a few feet away from the dueling Sekhmets, Ryo and Rowen move into the woods where the first attack had come from. As they move further into the woods, they notice a man standing in the shadows, a man in purple armor.

“Dais?” asks Rowen, taking a step toward the armored warlord.

“What?”

Turning around, Ryo and Rowen see that not only is Dais standing in front of them, but also behind them.

“How are we supposed to know which is the real Dais?” asks Ryo, glancing between the two men.

Smiling behind his mask, the Dais that was standing in front of them reaches behind himself.

“Perhaps this will help,” sneers Dais. “Web of Deception!”

All three of the warriors jump to the side and avoid the attack. Getting back to their feet, the warriors encircle the Dais that attacked them.

“Who are you?” ask Ryo, as he keeps his swords ready to defend.

“I am Dais, Warlord of Illusion,” replies the armored man standing in the middle of the three warriors.

“That's not possible,” replies Dais, shaking his head. “I am the former Warlord of Illusion. There is no other like me.”

Turning his head to look at Dais, the armored man in the center smirks at him underneath his helmet.

“Former being the key word,” sneers Dais. “Master has made me the new Warlord of Deception.”

“Master?” asks Ryo. “Tulpa? But we defeated him.”

“No, I do not call Tulpa my master. He was master to a different Warlord of Illusion,” replies Dais, glancing at the real Dais before he shifts his attention back to the Ronin leader. “And He wishes you dead.”

* * * * *

Is it just me or is it getting darker? thinks Sage, while keeping his eyes trained on Cale. Shifting to his left, Sage watches as Cale matches him move for move. As the seconds pass, Sage finds it harder and harder to see Cale.

“What's wrong, Halo?” taunts Cale. “Can't you see me?”

“I see you just fine, Cale,” replies Sage. “Though maybe a little bit of light is needed.” Raising his sword above his head, the sword begins to glow in a greenish light.

“Thunder Bolt Cut!”

Jumping to the side, Cale avoids the attack.

“Is that the best you can do?” taunts Cale.

“No, it's all I needed to do,” replies Sage, as he steps back.

“Black Lightning Slash!”

Whipping around, Cale sees the attack but before he can jump out of the way, the attack envelops him. Moving out of the shadows, Cale, the real Cale, steps toward what is left of the imposter.

“You knew I was there?” asks Cale, as he glances between the imposter and Sage.

“I guessed you were nearby,” replies Sage. Looking down at the dead body, Sage nods toward it. “What do we do about that?”

“Nothing,” replies Cale, as he walks away from the body and back toward the house. “And if you even say that we made a good team, I will turn my attack on you.”

“The thought never crossed my mind,” replies Sage, as he also heads toward the house where he can hear the sounds of battle still.

* * * * *

Shaking his head awake, the first thing Cye sees upon waking up is the two Sekhmets fighting. Blinking his eyes to make sure that they aren't playing a trick on him, he glances up to Kento, who remained by his side.

“Am I seeing things?” asks Cye. “Are there really two Sekhmets out there?”

“Yeah,” replies Kento, nodding his head. “That's what it looks like.”

Getting to his feet, Cye glances between the two Sekhmets. Lifting his yari, Cye watches the two Sekhmets fight. Glancing between Cye and the fighting warriors, Kento leans closer to his friend.

“Umm, Cye?” asks Kento. “You know which is which?”

Nodding his head, Cye waits, watching the two warriors continue to fight. As he sees his moment, Cye shifts his right foot backwards.

“Super Wave Smasher!”

The attack rushes toward the Sekhmet on the left as the one on the right jumps to the side. Resting the yari at his side, Cye glances at the dead warrior, while Sekhmet glares at him.

“He was mine,” says Sekhmet, as he strides toward Cye.

“And instead of taking care of it, you were playing,” replies Cye, as he shifts his body weight to face Sekhmet.

“Snakes always toy with their enemy before finishing them off,” says Sekhmet, then nods his head toward the dead warrior. “And what if he was needed for questioning? He won't be able to answer questions now.”

“I rather not see your methods of questioning,” replies Cye, as he turns away from Sekhmet.

“And how did you even know that you got the right Sekhmet?” asks Kento, glancing between Sekhmet and Cye.

“There was a wrong one?” asks Cye, as he notices Cale and Sage emerge from the forest.

Walking over to the dead man, Cye kneels down and removes the helmet. Throwing the helmet to the side, Cye glances down at the fallen warriors and freezes.

“You have to see this,” says Cye, as he stands back up.

Kento and Sekhmet join Cye by the body and look down into the face of their enemy. For a second, Sekhmet wonder if Dais is playing some sort of game with him or if Cye placed a mirror over the body when he wasn't looking.

“His face,” says Sekhmet, leaning over the body to get a better look. “He looks like me.”

By this time, Cale and Sage have met up with the three warriors and have also looked at the dead body.

“This is getting weirder by the moment,” says Cye, as he steps away from the body. “Let's find Ryo, Rowen, and Dais.”

* * * * *

Jumping out of the way from another attack, Ryo shifts his body back into defense mode. Taking a quick look around the battlefield, Ryo notices that Rowen is still down from an earlier attack and Dais is no where to be seen. Noticing the fake Dais moving toward him, Ryo shifts his body so that he can keep the attacking warlord in front of him.

“Who is your master?” asks Ryo, as he raises his blades to form an X in front of him.

“That is for me to know,” replies Dais.

“And for us to find out?” asks the real Dais, suddenly appearing from behind the fake Dais.

Shifting his weight so that he does not have a warrior at his back, the fake Dais glances between the two warriors.

“No,” replies the armored warrior. “More like you will die never knowing.”

Suddenly, the fake Dais jumps into the tree branches and is swallowed by the darkness. Searching the trees for the warrior, Dais and Ryo can't find him. All of a sudden, directly above Ryo, Dais attacks. Jumping out of the way, Ryo dodges the attack and the fake Dais lands where Ryo had been.

Hearing the sound of running feet, Ryo glances in the direction of the house and notices the remaining three Ronins and two Warlords entering the battlefield. Shifting his attention back to the warrior, Ryo moves his blades in front of him, forming an X again.

“You're out numbered,” says Ryo. “This battle is over.”

“That may be so, but I have done what was needed of me,” replies the warrior, glancing around him.

“What are you?” asks Cye.

“Our master created us,” answers the fake Dais.

“Clones?” asks Sage, cocking his head.

“Something like that, yes,” replies the warrior, shifting his gaze between all the combatants.

“Why did you attack our children?” asks Ryo.

“So many questions,” replies the warrior with a smirk. “But I am done here.”

As his words echo through the woods, a bolt of lightning strikes him from out of the sky. Looking away from the blinding light, the warriors look back a second later but find that the warrior is no longer there.