Changing Episode 27

Entrance to the Dynasty

Narrator:  Kubi's vortex that had trapped Rowen of the Strata for days has now been realized as a secret gate into the Nether Realm.   The Ronin Warriors know that that is their only way to surpirse-attack Kubi, so they are now preparing, to enter the Dynasty!

   Kento and Sai walked along the lake together quietly.  "We'll be in the Dynasty soon," Kento said.

    Sai nodded.   "It'll be a tough battle."

    "Like usual."

    "It just seems like this will never end.  Even if we beat Kubi won't another warlord just take his place to attack us?  It's like we're always going to on the defensive.  I don't want to fight them anymore," Sai said, getting more and more distressed.

    "Sai, it'll all work out.  Let's just try to relax now.  Rowen hasn't even woken up yet.  We can think about it then."

    "And that's the other thing..." Sai started.  "Why did that have to happen to Rowen?  Why do they have to use all of these secretive tactics?"

    "Because they're jerks Sai.  But, we'll beat them."

    Sarah and Ryo were in the living room.  Sarah, Ryo and Rowen's crystals were lined up together.  "I don't get it," Sarah started.  "My virtue is 'determination', but my crystal says 'amibition', and Rowen's virtue is 'life force' but his kanji is 'intelligence' and yours are the same."

    "Well, I don't know.   There are so many mysteries about these armors."  Sage walked down into the living room with a green T-shirt and tan sweater over it. 

    "What are you guys doing?" Sage asked.

    "Can we see your crystal?" Ryo asked.  Sage looked at them suspiciously, then pulled it out and put it on the table next to Rowen's. 

    "See!  Sage's are different too.  The virtue is 'wisdom' and the kanji is 'courtesy'.  Why?" Sarah asked.

    Katie walked in and looked at them with interest.  "Want mine?" she asked.  Ryo nodded, and Katie put her crystal down next to Sarah's.  Sarah, Katie, Rowen, and Sage's crystals blinked. 

    "Katie's virtue is 'valor' and her kanji is 'hope'," Sarah whispered. 

    "These four are the only ones that are doubled," Ryo said.  He picked up his crystal and moved Sage and Rowen's over to Katie and Sarah's.  The four crystals resonated together and blinked.  The four warriors stared in surprise at the crystals.  Then they heard a door opening upstairs, and footsteps.  Rowen walked into the living room slowly.   He looked at the crystals uncertainly, and then they stopped blinking.  The owners of the four picked them up and held them out in a circle. 

    "So this is what called me down," Rowen laughed.

    "It seems these four armors hold a secret together," Sage said.  Ryo watched with interest, and then Sai and Kento wandered in and watched the four.  Sarah, Katie, Rowen, and Sage seemed to come back to themselves, and they put the crystals in their pockets.

    "Oh, how are you Rowen?" Sage asked.  Rowen sat down on the couch and looked up at Sage with a smile.

    "I'm ready to kick some serious Dynasty butt," Rowen said.  "How'd you guys find me anyway?"

    "Sarah's solar staff opened up the vortex in the closet," Ryo started.

    "Then I blew up the box from the inside," Sarah finished.

    "That vortex will lead us to the Dynasty," Katie said.

    "So you just tell us when you're ready to go and we'll head over to your closet," Kento said.

    "That sounds like some bad slang..." Sarah whispered.  "Like crib..."

    "Well I'll eat, get changed, and then we can set off," Rowen said.  The others nodded.

    "Katie, can I talk to you outside?" Ryo asked.  Katie looked skeptical, but she nodded and followed him out.

    Once they were outside Ryo turned to face Katie.  "I know I've had some reservations about you in the past, and I really did think you were spying on us for the Dynasty, but I've realized that I was wrong.  I know the others will realize it eventually too, but I just wanted to tell you in person how sorry I am for thinking badly about you, and I wanted to personally welcome you to the Ronin Warriors team.  We're gonna go in the Nether Realm and cause serious damage!  Right Katie of Redoak?"  He held out his hand to her.   "So, friends?"

    "Friends."

    Sage popped into the room he shared with Rowen.  Rowen was combing his hair and putting his headband on.   "Almost ready to go?" Sage asked.

    "Yeah.  I can't believe I was in that vortex or whatever it was for three days and I'm actually alive."  Sage walked over behind Rowen.  

    "I'm sorry it took us so long to find you.  If Kubi hadn't have come to Sarah and me to ask her to join we would've never figured it out."

    "And what about that snake of redoak?  She probably knew the whole time."

    "I don't know Rowen.   I'm starting to think that she really is one of us.  You should try to accept her.  I don't mean you should put your guard down, but she is Sarah's sister, and she does have ronin armor."

    "Yeah well the warlords have ronin armor too, and I don't see you being buddy-buddy with Kale."

    "That's different and you know it.  I didn't say you have to like her, but don't be a jerk either."

    "Yeah well when she shows her true colors you can just remember that I told you so.  I can't believe we're taking her with us anyway.  She'll just get in the way.  Seven ronins is one too many."

    "Rowen, I'll keep an eye on her okay.  Just calm down, we shouldn't be too tense before we leave."

    The warriors were in their undergear in Rowen's room.  Sage walked turned to everyone.  "Before we go there's something I want to say.  We don't know what we're going to find when we get in there, or what will happen.  But, part of being a ronin warrior is being able to trust your teammates.  I think that it'll be in all of our best interests to set our personal feelings for each other aside, and work as a team.  What do you say?" He looked from Katie to Rowen.  "Let's really be the Ronin Warriors."   He put his hand out, Ryo put his hand on top, then Sarah, then Sai, then Kento.   Katie and Rowen glared at each other, and then Katie added her hand and Rowen reluctantly did too.  They all stood in a circle together and looked at their teammates.

    "Let's armor up," Katie said.

    "Armor of Redoak!   Tou Yuki!"

    "Armor of Halo!   Tou Chi!"

    "Armor of Glacier!   Tou Ketsui!"

    "Armor of Wildfire!   Tou Jin!"

    "Armor of Hardrock!   Tou Gi!"

    "Armor of Torrent!   Tou Shin!"

    "Armor of Strata!   Tou Inochi!"

    All eyes were on Sarah as the solar staff appeared in her hands and she opened the vortex.  "Everyone hold hands, and walk straight through."  They formed a line with front right to left: Kento, Ryo, Sai, Sage, Katie, Sarah, and Rowen.  They walked single file into the closet vortex while holding onto each other, and then fanned out into a line.  At first they walked through fine, but then a strong wind picked up.  The warriors held onto each other, but Kento, Ryo, and Sai were pulled to one end while Sarah and Rowen were pulled to the other.  Sarah and Rowen held on tightly, but then Sai let go of Sage and he, Kento, and Ryo flew off into the distance.  The loss of those three caused Sarah to lose her grip, and Rowen and Sarah were pulled off into the distant blackness.   Sage and Katie nodded at each other and then ran straight ahead.

    Sai, Kento, and Ryo all landed a few feet from each other in the marshy area that Rowen and Ryo had been in when they went into the Dynasty to rescue the three other ronins.  Ryo got up and saw a tiger looking at him.  "White Blaze!  Did you follow us?"  Sai stood up and walked over to him, with Kento not far behind. 

    "Where are we dudes?" Kento asked.

    "Far from the castle.   Rowen and I came in this way when we rescued you from Talpa," Ryo explained.   They all looked off at the gold castle in the distance.  "Kubi's out there."

    "Well, let's get going," Kento said.  They walked through the water, but before they could get onto dry land a shadow blocked their way.

    "You're not going anywhere!" a sinister voice exclaimed.  A huge monkey appeared in front of them.

    "We're fighting a monkey?" Kento laughed.  Pink light came out of the monkey's eyes and shot at the three.  Kento jumped, then tripped and the pink light hit his leg.   "Ow!  Tough monkey!" he screamed.

    This isn't right, Ryo thought.  Kubi wouldn't have giant powered monkeys attack us.

    "It's Dais!" Sai yelled to Ryo as the pink light shot onto his hand.

    Illusion... he was using the monker to psyche us out, Ryo laughed to himself.

    Sarah and Rowen landed in the desert.  Rowen got up and knocked some of the sand off of his armor.  Sarah stood up and looked around.  "Where are we?" Rowen asked.  He looked to his left where there was a cave half hidden by the sand.

    "I think... we're not too far from the castle.  Some new Warlords were testing out their powers and decimated this whole area into a desert.

    "Oh great," he grumbled.  "Well at least I didn't get stuck here with the empress of evil Katie," he whispered to himself.

    "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that, since I'm pretty sure you didn't think I did."  Rowen looked at her surprised, he hadn't thought she'd hear him.  Then, the sky got dark. 

    "I thought that only happens in our realm?" Sarah said.

    "No look, the clouds are different.  They're clumps of cirrus, but they're black, and covering the whole sky," Rowen told her.  Then the area turned completely black.  They could barely see each other.  "Stay close to me," Rowen said to Sarah.  She stood next to him and held out her scythe.  He pulled out an arrow.  A pair of green eyes appeared in front of Rowen.  He aimed an arrow at them and shot, but the eyes disappeared.  A sword shrouded in green power cut through the darkness.  It sliced at Rowen and Sarah, cutting through their armor.

    "It's so fast," she whispered.  "I can't see it."  The sword cut Rowen's knee, and he fell down.  Sarah ducked as a sword almost cut her head.  She stood back up, and her scythe started glowing purple.  She saw the sword and stopped it with the scythe.   The sword disappeared then attacked from above.  Sarah stopped it again, and the two struggled.  "Rowen!  Now!" she yelled to him.

    He aimed his arrow.   "Arrow Shock Wave!"  The arrow lit up the whole area.  It went above them, and then suddenly turned around and started heading back down, straight at them.  Rowen formed his blue bubble for protection, and pushed Sarah out of the way.   The arrow landed at Rowen's feet, and the power tore his armor.  His helmet came off, and then he was thrown into the cave.  Sarah was thrown farther from where Rowen had pushed her.  She opened her eyes painfully, wondering what had happened to Rowen, and saw his helmet.  It was broken into pieces, and one of the horns was broken off.  There were other pieces of his armor scattered around, and his blood was on the ground.  The part of his shoulder cover with his symbol on it had been torn off too. 

    Oh my God.... he's dead?" she thought.  She tried to stand up, but was in too much pain herself.  Then three soldiers came up behind her.  Two of them picked her up and disappeared with her.  The third walked over to the pieces of Rowen's armor.  He picked up the broken helmet and then disappeared.

    Sage and Katie ran into the Dynasty.  They were standing on a small path between two lakes.  They looked over and saw an explosion.

    "What was that?" Sage asked.

    "I don't know, but it looked like someone's attack hitting the ground."

    "Rowen maybe?" Sage suggested.  Katie shrugged indifferently. 

    He better make sure nothing happens to Sarah, Katie thought to herself. 

    "Well let's head toward that way," Sage suggested.

    "Alright.  You know Sage, what you said before we came in here was really nice, even if a certain member of our team didn't agree with you."

    "Oh, Rowen will come around, he's just stubborn."

    "I don't care if he likes me or not.  I wouldn't even attempt to be nice to him if Sarah didnt...." she stopped short.

    "If Sarah didn't what?"

    "None of your business," Katie said.  She ran up in front of Sage.  Sage shrugged and followed her.

    The ground shook and Ryo, Kento, and Sai looked around.  "Look at that light," Sai said. 

    The giant monkey was still shooting power at them.  Finally, Ryo jumped up and shoved his swords through the eyes of the monkey.  Dais yelled and the monkey disappeared.  Dais had been behind the eyes.  Dais fell to the ground.  "Alright warriors!  Now you can fight me!"  He sent spider webs flying at Sai.  Sai started to dodge, but got stuck in it. 

    "Sai!" Ryo yelled.   Then the web wrapped around Ryo, and Kento.  Kento tried to turn in the webbing and then noticed that he was wearing his full armor so there were spikes on his arm.  He turned his arm back and forth until the spikes started to rip the web, and then he freed his arms.  Dais was shooting more webbing at Ryo, so he didn't notice when Kento reached under the water to get his bo.  He cut himself free, and then freed Sai.  Dais saw them and was about to shoot webs at them when White Blaze jumped up and attacked Dais.  He knocked him down and Sai freed Ryo with his spear.   Ryo grabbed his swords and the three winked at each other.

    "Flare up Now!"

    "Super Wave Smasher!"

    "Iron Rock Crusher!"

    "Noooo!!!" Dais yelled as the three attacks hit him at once.  Then he disappeared.  The three cheered, and then White Blaze looked off into the distance and ran away. 

    "White Blaze!   Wait!" Ryo yelled.  White Blaze disappeared into the scenery in front of them.

    "We should probably follow him," Sai suggested.

    Kubi got up from his throne when he saw the two soldiers appear holding up Sarah.  "Very good," he said.  The third soldier appeared with the helmet pieces.  "Perfect."   He approached Sarah, and put his hand under her chin to make her look at him.   "So sad to see you in such a state.  However, I can save you.  You saw how easy we took down your friend Rowen of Strata.  That bloody helmet's all that's left of him.  You don't have to die too Sarah.  I'll give you eternal life if you join the Dynasty again."

    "No."

    "What?"

    "I will NOT work for you again."

    "Well then, you can die!"  His eyes glowed and then a vortex appeared behind a door in the throne room.  Sarah's eyes filled with fear.  "I see you don't want to die.   Let's make a bargain.  If you join the Dynasty as a Warlady again, I won't make you fight your friends.  All you have to do is bring this helmet to Sage of the Halo and say you killed Rowen of the Strata.  It's not hard my dear."

    Sarah looked at the helmet and then at Kubi.  "No."

    "I'll give you a while to think it over.  Take her to the room."  The soldiers threw her into a black room off of the throne room.  "Don't even think of using your armors' powers in here, it'll just reflect back at you."  They closed the door.  Kubi took the helmet from the soldier and stared at it, then put it on a table, and a blue shield formed around it.

    Rowen opened his eyes slowly.  His whole body ached, and his head was resting on a rock.  Warm blood flowed out of wound on his head, and his armor was torn and sliced.  He was still holding his bow, and had hit it into his face earlier.  His lip was bleeding.   He got up slowly and painfully, and then walked out of the cave.  He saw the soldiers' footprints in the sand, and the imprint of where Sarah had laid.  They must have taken her, and not seen me.  He looked over at the ground where the pieces of his armor was.  Or they think I'm dead.  He saw the blood, and looked at himself, and noticed that his left arm was bleeding.  Oh well, I'll just deal with it, I have to find her.  Rowen stumbled on in his crumbled armor.   Then, he saw White Blaze run up to him.  "Hey old buddy, you going to help me out?"  He patted the tiger, and the two walked toward the castle.

    "I can't believe they separated us.  I don't even know where to start looking for everyone, other than where that light was," Sage grumbled.  "I hope nothing happens to anyone."

    "Yeah, especially Sarah or Ryo," Katie said.

    "What?  You're picking?  Do you have a list?"

    "Well, out of all of you "guys" Ryo was the only one to actually be nice to me."

    "What about Sai?   He kept defending why we should find you after your armor made you disappear!"

    "Fine then, I hope nothing happens to Sai... or Kento either, he's alright."

    "So then you hope me and Rowen get killed?"

    "Well not you, I don't like being in the Dynasty alone, but Rowen.... well I wouldn't want him to get killed, but if we had to sacrifice someone..."

    "Would you STOP talking like that!  No one's going to get killed, and we're not going to sacrifice anyone!"  Sage pushed past her, annoyed.

    "Fine then!  At least this is better than going to your stupid school!"

    "Yeah well some of us actually wanted to be there!"

    "Why?  So every girl in school will flirt with you?"

    "No!  Well that's not so bad... but it's because my family already thinks I'm skipping, and the principal doesn't like me.  Everyone thinks something's going on when the five of us don't show up at school."

    "Oh."  Then a deep voice laughed and the area grew dark. 

    "What an honor to be able to take down two more today!" the demon laughed.

    "Who are you?!" Sage demanded.

    "Fanyed.  A warlord under the command of the great Emperor Kubi."  The area grew so dark that Sage and Katie couldn't see.  Then the sword outlined in green started cutting them.  He cut Sage's side, and Katie's leg.  Then Sage made his sword cover in light.  It illuminated the black box. 

    "You can't keep us in the dark anymore!  Thunder Bolt Cut!"  He threw the light, and then it was redirected back at him.  Sage was stunned for a moment, but Katie ran over and grabbed onto him.  They both jumped out of the way, just in time.  "I know the strategy now, the box reflects, he just disappears just in time.  I'll hold onto him, you attack the wall across from him and then get out of the way when it reflects at him, ok?" Sage whispered to her.  She nodded.  Sage and Katie jumped around at high speeds confusing Fanyed, until Sage came up behind him and grabbed him. 

    Katie held her dagger out to the wall across from Fanyed.  "Spiral Leaf Shine!"  She jumped out of the way, and seconds before the attack hit Fanyed Sage jumped.  Fanyed screamed and the box disappeared. 

    "Wow, quick thinking!" Katie exclaimed.

    "You too, with getting me to jump out of the way."  He smiled at her, then his expression turned somber.  "But what worries me, is that he said he was happy to take down two more of us.  We better get over to where we saw that light."  Katie nodded and then ran off with Sage not far behind. 

    Sand blew up in their face as they crossed into the desert area.  The wind blew through, covering all the footprints.  "Maybe it was Ryo, Kento, and Sai and they figured out the strategy and blew him away, but he just thought the two of us would be easier to beat?" Katie suggested.  Sage walked on in silence.  He came to a spot where he saw some blue armor sticking up out of the sand.  He bent down and pushed some of the sand away.  

    "I think we can ditch that theory," he said as he found the piece with Rowen's symbol on it, and the blood around the area.  Katie leaned over him and saw the metal with Rowen's symbol on it.   "Not that you would care."

    "This is all Rowen's armor, where's Sarah?  She was with him."

    "Knowing Rowen, he probably pushed her out of the way.  The question is, where did they go?"

    "Let's head toward the castle." 

    A group of soldiers converged on Rowen.  They threw chains at Rowen and White Blaze.  The chains wrapped around Rowen's ankles and wrists.  White Blaze tried to bite them, but he became ensnared as well.  Then Rowen's armor started glowing.  Sage, Katie, Ryo, Sai, and Kento's armor glowed as well, and their kanji appeared on their foreheads.

    "What's happening?   Life!"

    "Rowen?  Wisdom!"

    "What's going on?  Valor!"

    "I have to help!  Virtue!"

    "Who's in trouble?  Trust!"

    "Here!  Justice!"

    "What's this?   Determination!"  Even in the black room, Sarah's virtue still came to her, and she could still help.

    The power of the other Ronins came to Rowen.  It shattered the chains, and Rowen's armor healed his wounds, and became whole again, except that his helmet was still missing.  "Thanks guys!   Arrow Shock Wave!"  His power decimated the soldiers surrounding him, and he and White Blaze ran toward the castle. 

    Kubi noticed the purple glow that came through the walls.  "Bring her out here.  Her time's up!"   The soldiers opened the door and pulled Sarah out.  Kubi opened the door to the vortex again.  "What have you decided?"

    If he puts me in that vortex then it's all over for me, I'm the only one other than Kubi and a handful of evil warlords who can open it.  They'll never be able to find me or save me.  But I can't join again... but if I said I would and then didn't?

    "I've decided to..."

    "What was that?" Katie asked.

    "Sometimes when one of us is in trouble the armor will react to help the other, but it just felt different this time... maybe because of the seven armors?" Sage said to Katie.

    "I just hope it helped whoever needed help."

    "Let's keep heading for the castle."

    "You know Sage, I have to say that I don't really mind being stuck with you in here.  Never a dull moment with Sage Date."

   Sage smiled over at her.   "You're not so bad yourself, much more fun than any of my girlfriends."

    "Ooh than ANY of them, that's quite a large compliment Sage," Katie laughed.

   "Here we are!" Rowen called to White Blaze as he reached the castle.  White Blaze seemed to nod and then ran away.  Rowen shrugged.  He jumped up and aimed an arrow at the wall.   "Arrow Shock Wave!"

    "I've decided to join the..." Sarah started, suddenly an arrow surrounded in Rowen's power broke though the side of the room, directly behind Kubi, destroying the throne, and the table with the Strata helmet on it.  "...the Ronin Warriors."  Kubi spun around as he was hit, and the two soldiers let go of Sarah and ran to the hole.  Behind Sarah another powered arrow broke through and Rowen darted in, grabbed her arm, and jumped back out. 

    They floated away quickly, and Sarah took off Glacier so she would be lighter.  Some soldiers fired arrows at them but Sarah watched and shot ice out of her hands to make them fall.  She was looking backward and holding onto Rowen.  A ship full of soldiers started to follow them, but she shot down the whole thing.  They were moving fast, and soon Rowen stopped moving and hovered over the ground.  In the distance there was a blue-gold sky and blue water.  She turned towards him and hugged him around his stomach.   He put his hands on her back.

    "I thought I was done for, thank you so much!"

    "I would never have left you with them," he said quietly.  She looked at him, and he looked back at her.  Her visor that acted as glasses while she was in armor reflected his face back at him.  "You never have to worry about that when you're with me, I won't let anything happen to you."

    "I promise to not let anything happen to you either," she said back to him.  He nodded and then just looked at her.  Slowly their faces moved closer together, and they closed their eyes as they kissed.  They stopped and gazed into each other's eyes.

    "Hey what're you two doing up there?" Sage called as he and Katie ran over.

    "Coming down!" Rowen called.  He lowered the bubble and landed in front of Sage.  "We were taking a look at the area."

    "What'd you see?" Sage asked.

    "Not much," Sarah responded.  She glanced at Rowen and smiled.

    "Hey guys!" Kento called out.  Kento, Ryo, and Sai ran over with White Blaze leading them.

    "Great, we're all together now," Ryo said.

    "In time to die," Seckhmet laughed.  A whole army of soldiers stood behind him, ready to fight.

    "It's gonna be one of those days," Ryo sighed.  Rowen winked at him.

Narrator:  The Ronin Warriors have already proved that they can work together as a team, but will it be enough now that they're in the Dynasty?  Will they be able to defeat Kubi?  What other obstacles lay in the path of victory for the Ronin Warriors?