Changing Series, Episode One

September

Arrival of a Warlady

Narrator: The Ronin Warriors have defeated Talpa and the Evil Dynasty, but more evil now threatens the Mortal Realm.

            In April, prior to Talpa’s first attack on the Mortal Realm, two teenage sisters from Boston, Massachusetts mysteriously disappeared.

            A sixteen year-old with long straight blonde hair, walked through the Boston metropolis.  Suddenly, the ground began to shake, and crack.  She ran ten meters away, then turned and watched in awe as a Dynasty gate rose from beneath the pavement.  “What the heck is that?” she shouted. 

Then the gate opened with a creak, and a the sinister voice of Talpa called out, “Your place is here.  Enter into the EVIL DYNASTY!”  Katie screamed and turned to run away.  However, a wind of Nether Spirits flew out of the Dynasty, and swirling around her, pulled her through the gate.  Then it closed.

At the same time, a fifteen year-old with brown hair and glasses walked through a park.  A deep fog appeared, and surrounded her.  Then she felt a rumble in the ground and turned to see a Dynasty Gate emerge.  Sarah remained calm, and began to slowly walk backwards, away from the gate.  Then the gate burst open, and Battamon appeared in the gateway.  Badamon beckoned her and shouted, “Come to us warrior for you now serve the EVIL DYNASTY!”  Sarah turned and ran, however the Nether Spirits wrapped around her and dragged her in.  The gate closed with a resounding thud behind her.

Ryo lounged on the living room couch in Mia’s large home, watching the news.  The somber newscaster began to speak, “The young American model and her sister who were reported missing six months ago still have not been found.  It appears that they have vanished without a trace.  If you have any information please call…” 

Ryo switched the TV off.  He stood up and stretched.  Then he said, “Well, I’m going to bed now.”  He looked over at Mia who was absorbed in her woman’s magazine.

“Good night Ryo,” she replied without looking up.  “You have school tomorrow, so do not forget to set your alarm clock again.”

The following day, outside of Han’a High School, Rowen and Sage stood, the wind blowing.  Rowen pushed up the sleeves on his school uniform and turned to Sage.  “Hey Sage, do you want to study with me?” he asked.

“No thanks, I’m not feeling that great today,” Sage responded as Sai, Ryo, and Kento walked by.

“Sai, we were supposed to hang out today man.  I can’t believe you’d back out on me like this!” Kento exclaimed.

“Sorry Kento, but it isn’t my fault.  I have to watch my younger brother and sister,” Sai responded.  “I have to go now, see-ya!”

“Bye, Sai,” Kento replied, annoyed.

The five guys said “goodbye” and then parted, each walking in a different direction.

When Sai returned home he attempted to do his homework, but was not having much luck.  His brother and sister were running around the room screaming and giggling. 

“Hey!  No jumping on the couch!” Sai shouted as they bounced around the room..  Suddenly, the sky outside grew dark.  Sai spun around with a start as the door opened.  Within the doorway stood the darkened figure of a young woman. 

“Torrent,” the woman said.  Sai jumped out off of his chair.  He turned to his sibling, and pushed them out of the room. 

“You two, run, get out of the house!” Sai shouted after them.  When they were safely out, Sai pulled out his crystal and donned his undergear.  “What do you want, Kayura!” he shouted.

“I’m NOT Kayura!” she yelled, appalled. 

“Then who are you?” Sai asked, surprised. 

The woman stepped forward into the light.  She had brown hair, and red and orange armor, she held a pointed staff in her hand.  “I am Warlady Sarah, the Dark Warlord of the Sun, and Commander of the Dark Warlords.  I have come to battle with you.  NOW!”  She lunged at Sai with the staff.  He dodged it.  “Put your armor on!” she shouted.

“NO!” Sai yelled back.  “She must be after the armors,” he thought.  “I cannot risk putting it on now.”

“Do not toy with me Sai of Torrent!” she shouted.  Then she brought the staff down on his head and knocked him to the ground.  He stayed there, catching his breath.  “What is wrong?  Are you afraid that even with your armor on you will lose?”  Sai began to stand up, his lip bleeding.

He wiped the blood from his face and responded sarcastically, “Yeah, I am real scared!”  Sarah smiled evilly.  Sai lunged at her and attempted to punch her face, but she dodged, causing him to hit her in the stomach with his left hand instead.  She did not even flinch.

“Alright,” she sighed.  “Enough playing games.  Prepare yourself.”  Sai moved into a fighting stance.  She stepped up onto the coffee table and leered at him.  “This should hurt.”  Sarah spun her staff, creating a ring of fire before her.  She smiled wickedly.

The ring of fire shot at Sai.  He flipped through the ring, knocking over an armchair behind him.  Then the fire changed course, formed into a ball, and absorbed into Sai’s back.  He fell to the ground, moaning in pain.  Sarah jumped down from the table and stood over him.  “I told you it would hurt,” she laughed.

Sai slowly stood up.  Then Sarah hit him with her staff before he was completely upright.  Sai slammed into the wall, forming an indentation in it.  Sai got up and scrambled for the phone that had fallen to the floor from their earlier fight.  He picked it up and dialed Kento’s number.

“Hmm, looks like he’s calling for backup.  I suppose this means you accept defeat?  Well, Sai, lucky for you, this was just a test.  Do not worry though, I will be back!” Sarah sneered.  Then she disappeared.

“Hello?” Kento’s voice said through the phone.  Sai sighed with relief. 

“Kento…” he moaned into the phone, then he fell unconscious. 

“SAI!!!” Kento screamed.

A while later, the room had been cleaned.  Sai lay on the couch in his undergear, while Sage and Rowen were on the smaller sofa.  Ryo sat against the armchair, while Kento worked on repairing the wall.  Sai relayed the story of the mysterious Warlady to the others.

Kento stopped working and turned to Sai.  “Why didn’t you put on your armor?” he asked.

“Because I though she might have been after the armors,” Sai sighed.  “I didn’t want to give her a chance to take it.  She was so strong, even with Torrent I never could have beaten her alone.  Thank you for coming over.”  Sai began to sit up.

“Sai, take it easy!” Rowen cautioned.

“No, it is alright.  I’m fine,” Sai responded, sitting on the couch.

“Sai, did she say what she wanted from you?” Sai inquired.

“No, not at all.  What do you think she wants?” Sai asked hopelessly.

“I’m not sure.  Maybe she wants revenge for Talpa’s defeat?  Or she could be proving her strength for power in the Dynasty.  Or, she could be after the armors, since she was testing your strength,” Sage responded thoughtfully.

“I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.” Ryo shrugged.

Two days later, Rowen descended the stairs from a city bus in his school uniform, on his way home.  “Oh great, I get to walk another four blocks to get to that stupid apartment,” Rowen said sarcastically to himself.  A hand tapped him hard on the shoulder.  “HEY!”  He turned around and no one was there.  He shrugged and began to walking again, then his headband was swiped off of hi head.  He turned around to see it on the ground.  He picked it up and began to run.  He looked behind him to see if he was being followed.  When he faced forward he nearly ran into Warlady Sarah.  He backed away and donned his undergear, dropping his bag.

Rowen lunged at her, and she disappeared, causing him to fall on the ground.  He stood up and she hit him in the stomach with her staff.  He doubled over in pain, but kicked her behind her knees.  She fell down next to him.  They both immediately jumped to their feet.  Sarah jumped at him, her staff held horizontally in both hands.  Rowen grabbed onto her staff, flipped over it, and body-slammed her in the back.  Sarah was pushed ten feet, and she was very angry.

Rowen laughed and said, “How did you like that?  I saw Lady Kayura do it once, and I’ve always wanted a chance to try it out.”

“Well then you are a fool, because it clearly did not help her any!” Sarah shouted, lunging at Rowen again.  Rowen held back Sarah’s staff with his arm.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Kayura is dead, not as if it is any of your concern!” Sarah shouted, pushing against him with her staff harder.  He was pushed to his knees, still holding back against the pressure she exerted on her staff.

“What?” he exclaimed.  She jumped away from him.  Then she put her staff under her arm and pointed it at Rowen.

“Let’s see how you like this!” she shouted.  A large fireball formed at the tip of her staff and shot at Rowen.  He barely dodged it, and was shocked to see it blow up a bench and completely incinerate a tree.  He looked with horror and fear at Sarah.  Then he turned that fear into anger.

“Two can play at this game!” he shouted.  “ARMOR OF STRATA!  TOU-INOCHI!” Rowen’s armor of Strata appeared on him.  He pulled an arrow out of his quiver and aimed at her.  “ARROW SHOCK WAVE!”  Sarah dodged the spiral of blue energy.  Rowen watched as his attack blew up two blocks worth of pavement, stunned by its destructive force in a civilian area.  Sarah took advantage of his distracted attention and his him with a fireball on his left side.  Rowen fell face forward to the ground, moaning.  “What are you, the new ruler?” he demanded.

“What?  No, the new emperor is a moron.  He does not know up from down!” she laughed.

“If he’s so stupid then why do you work for him?” Rowen asked.

“Because I could do a whole lot better than him at training those Warlords.  Would you stop changing the subject!  Now I have to go,” Sarah said.  Then she hit him in the head with her staff and disappeared.

“Well that was not fun!” Rowen exclaimed as he shed his armor.  He dragged himself one block to his apartment, and slowly entered.  Then he slowly ascended the stairs and let himself into his home.  He collapsed on the couch and grabbed the nearby phone.

At the Date dojo, Sage was practicing his Kendo moves in a white kimono, a bamboo sword in his hand.  He looked to the clock on the wall.  “Five more minutes until I have to teach a lesson,” he said to himself.  Then a phone of the wall began to ring.  He did not put down the bamboo sword as he answered the phone.  “Hello, Date Dojo.”

“Sage!  I was just attacked by the enemy!” Rowen shouted hoarsely. 

“Where are you?” Sage demanded.

“At the apartment,” he responded.

“Hold on, I’ll be right there!” Sage shouted.  Then he ran to the door, hung a sign on it and yelled into the house, “GRANDFATHER, I’VE GOT TO GO.  I’LL BE BACK LATER, OKAY?”

Sage turned and just as he shut the door behind him his grandfather ran in.  “Wait, where are you going?  SAGE!” he shouted.

Sage ran down the street toward a group of chatting girls.  “Hey, isn’t that Sage?” one asked.

“What is he doing?” the other said.

“I don’t know, but it must be important,” a third said.

“Oooh, he’s soooo cute!” the first exclaimed.

“SAGE, HI!!” the second shouted as he ran by.  Sage did not even notice them.

Rowen bandaged his side, and then turned on the television.  Sage burst through the apartment door.  Rowen jumped with surprise and then shut off the TV.  “Oh!  Sage, wow, good timing.  How’d you get here so fast?” he asked.  Sage had his hands on his knees and was breathing hard, a bamboo sword in one hand.  “Sage?”

“Yeah,” he responded, catching his breath.

“I told you I was just attacked, not that I was being attacked.  You could at least have taken the time to put your shoes on,” Rowen said.

“What?”  Then Sage looked down and noticed his bare feet.  “Oh, yeah.  Okay, so I was worried!  It explains the weird looks I got on the subway…” he murmured.

“Okay,” Rowen responded as Sai, Kento, and Ryo walked in.

“Hey Rowen, are you okay?” Kento asked, concerned.

“Yeah, just some minor burns,” Rowen answered.

“Um Sage, why are you barefoot and carrying a sword?” Sai asked as he settled on an armchair.

“Well, umm, you see, I uh,” Sage attempted to answer the question.

“He just came from the dojo where he was about to teach a lesson, he rushed here,” Rowen explained.

“Thank you Rowen,” Sage replied as he ant the rest settled onto chairs.  “So, what happened, were you attacked by Sarah?”

“Yeah,” he replied and relayed the battle to them.  “The weird thing is, apparently she does not like the ruler of the Dynasty.”

“Rowen, is there any chance that Kayura is still the ruler?” Sai asked.

“Well, according to Sarah, Kayura’s is gone,” he paused before adding, “for good.”

Everyone gasped in shock and horror.  “But she was the last of the Ancients!” Kento exclaimed.

“And she was on our side!” Ryo said.  “Which gave the Dynasty a perfect excuse to get rid of her.”

“It seems we’re dealing with a lot worse than before.  We should probably stay together until this is over,” Sage stated.

“Mia will probably let us all stay at her house again,” Ryo said.

“Wait guys, my parents are out of town.  I have to watch my brothers and sisters.  I can’t go to Mia’s house,” Kento told them.

“How long will they be gone for?” Sage asked.

“One week,” Kento responded.

“Alright, this is what we’ll do.  I’ll lend you my cell phone, so no matter where you are you can call one of us if you get attacked,” Sage said.

“We probably won’t be attacked tomorrow, since Sai was the day before yesterday, even though she was pretty angry before she left,” Rowne said.

Inside of the Dynasty a small Dynasty hut sat alone.  Inside, Sarah was throwing fireballs at a target on the wall.  “Sarah,” a female voice said as she entered the building.

“Oh hey,” Sarah said, wiping the sweat from her forehead.  “I was not expecting you.”

“I heard your little comment about Emperor Kubi,” the girl said.

“You did?” Sarah asked, nervous.  She had forgotten that the Dynasty monitored battles.

“Fortunately for you, he didn’t,” the girl replied.

“Oh good,” Sarah sighed with relief.

“He wants you to continue on your mission as planned, so I will see you on your next trip out tomorrow.”

Narrator: The Ronin Warriors are beginning a new war with the Dynasty, but why?  Who exactly is this Warlady Sarah and how did the two missing girls from Boston become elite Dynasty warriors.  So many questions unanswered.  The most important question of all, is whether the Ronins can survive her next attack.