Episode 31

Narrator: In their battle against Kubi the Ronin Warriors seemed to have the upper hand. However, now that the true Emperor Kubi has revealed himself do the Ronin Warriors stand a chance?

    The Ronins tried to run to Sarah but a force held them back. A wall materialized behind the Ronin Warriors, and Kubi held out his hand. More strands appeared and a force pushed the Ronin Warriors against the wall. The strands wrapped around them and held them to the wall like chains. All seven Ronin Warriors found themselves bound to the wall and unable to move. Once he was sure they were sufficiently restrained Kubi stepped out of the shadows.

    "Why?" Katie asked. "Why didn’t you show yourself before? Why did you hide?"

    "Well, after the fall of Talpa, as you well know there was quite a bit of anarchy in this area," Kubi began, with a nod to Katie. "Warlady Sarah was partially correct when she said my powers lie in the area between realms, but she didn’t know about this other power which the seven of you have all witnessed. I do work between realms, my decoy could only take on one of my traits, the Dark Powers couldn’t do any more than that, so I chose the inter-realm power for this decoy. I watched you all in the empty space next to the Dynasty, through the decoys eyes, wondering how far you’d get. But, I could watch you in the Mortal Realm as well, every step you took I saw. It was enjoyable for a while, but when I realized you’d defeat my decoy who couldn’t do much beyond duplicating himself and sending you all into "the black zones" such as the box in Strata’s closet I decided it was time to come out and exercise my immense power."

    "What exactly do you want?" Sai asked.

    "To avenge the Dynasty’s injured pride by defeating the infamous Ronin Warriors once and for all, and I decided while I was spying on all of you that I want the Mortal Realm as well. Once all of you are gone, I can take it easily. Besides, you five men took things that belonged to me," he said, in reference to Empress Katie and Warlady Sarah. "…and although I know I can’t have them back I do need to teach you that it’s not nice to steal," he laughed.

    "We’re not things," Sarah choked. "And we never belonged to you."

    "Oh but you did!" Kubi laughed. "Empress Katie, and Warlady Sarah!

    "I have one power that I never told you about, and it is this: when someone is trapped inside my black box I can hear their thoughts, delve into their mind, and taste their anxieties, of which I can also manipulate," he laughed. Rowen who had been hanging his head with his arms outstretched at his sides looked up quickly at that last comment. "I wonder what you’re all thinking now?" Kubi began to sink into the floor and the wall with the Ronins on it sank through with him. He held his hands together and then pulled them apart. Suddenly, seven doors in the room blew open and vortexes containing black boxes appeared. Kubi pulled a sword out of the sheath at his side and it started glowing red. He swung it in front of him and a red beam of light smashed into the seven ronins and destroyed the wall they were on. That sent the seven flying backward into the seven vortexes. Upon entry their armor was torn off of them, but they all had their crystals.

    Kubi appeared in the box with Sage who was sitting in the corner looking around. "So, Sage of the Halo, what are you worried about now?" Kubi put his hand on Sage’s face and looked into his eye.

    "I’m worried about what we’ll do with your mangled body once we’re through with you!" he exclaimed.

    "My, your mind is sharp, so focused. The power of the vortex hasn’t worn it down at all. Well, everything happens in good time." With that, Kubi slipped out and found his way into Sai’s room. He concentrated, but couldn’t find the anxieties inside of Sai’s mind either. He was baffled, so he went into Kento’s room, thinking he would be the easiest target, but he couldn’t get inside of Kento’s mind. "How is this possible?!" he exclaimed. "Wait, I still know what Strata’s mind feels like, I’ll try him now." Kubi walked into Rowen’s room, and Rowen smiled at him. Kubi reached out and grabbed Rowen’s head. "Why?! Why can’t I feel your mind?! WHY!" Then Kubi noticed a soft green and purple glow in the corner of the room.

    He ran out and looked through the doors to the vortexes to see Sarah and Katie, in their normal clothes, arms outstretched and glowing, Katie's long blonde hair beginning to lift up, Sarah's long brown hair already high above her head. "They’re sabotaging my vortexes! How dare they?!"

    Kubi ran into Katie’s room. He reached out to strike her but his arm couldn’t get past her green glow of power. She brought one hand to her side and as she did more purple power flooded the room. Then she pulled out her armor crystal; it glowed furiously as she held it out. She put her left hand on it and then drew her hand away, as she did her dagger, clothed in green light seemed to be pulled from the crystal itself, until she held it in her hand. Kubi still couldn’t get any closer to her, and just watched, stunned. Then Katie smiled and traced the five-point star, triangle, and surrounding circle in the air. She stabbed her dagger into it pushed through Kubi, throwing him aside.

    At the same time, Sarah put her hands to her head and concentrated. Then the same five point star, triangle, and circle appeared in front of her. It blasted through the vortexes and out into the castle. The Ronins ran out to watch as the two symbols collided and joined together.

    "Now would be a good time to armor up," Sarah said. They all simultaneously donned their undergear, and then prepared to put on their full armor. The symbol grew larger, and larger until it dwarfed the Ronins and the demon emperor.

    "Armor of Glacier! Tou Ketsui!"

    "Armor of Wildfire! Tou Jin!"

    "Armor of Halo! Tou Chi!"

    "Armor of Strata! Tou Inochi!"

    "Armor of Torrent! Tou Shin!"

    "Armor of Hardrock! Tou Gi!"

    "Armor of Redoak! Tou Yuki!"

    The seven stood together, with Kubi on the ground behind them watching the symbol. Then tendrils of light appeared on the corners of the symbol. The light wrapped around the seven Ronin Warriors and pulled them up to different points on the symbol. They dropped their weapons and they were swallowed up by the circle around the symbol. Ryo was at the top of the five-point star, Rowen and Sage were on the upper ends, Kento and Sai were on the lower ends, and Sarah and Katie were on the base of the upside-down triangle, and an empty space was at the tip of it.

    "Armor of Wildfire!"

    "Armor of Strata!"

    "Armor of Halo!"

    "Armor of Hardrock!"

    "Armor of Torrent!"

    "Armor of Glacier!"

    "Armor of Redoak!"

    The colors of each Ronin’s armor began to spin around the circle, until suddenly the empty Armor of Inferno appeared at the tip of the triangle. The five male Ronins simultaneously called out, "Armor of Inferno!"

    The symbol began to power up and back away from the castle. Kubi stood in the empty room astounded. The Ronins all concentrated and then yelled, "TOU JIN!" The outstretched their hands and their powers swirled together. Kubi sent strands of red light at them but their powers had formed a sphere of protection around them. Then they drew the power into their hands and blasted it onto the castle. Kubi pushed back with his "force", and held up strong for a while. But the Ronin Warriors were stronger. Their power overtook Kubi until he cried out in pain and was obliterated, along with most of the Dynasty castle.

    The falling of the Dynasty castle caused more explosions and destruction in the surrounding area. The seven Ronins and the empty Inferno shell held their arms up and their power reached through the sky and opened a passage into the Mortal Realm. Their armor’s energy carried them up and out of the Dynasty, and when they broke through into the human world the symbol disappeared and they fell down to a deserted road near Mia’s mansion.

    Mia, who had been spending a lot of time studying the sky saw the lights and raced to her Jeep to pick them up.

    The warriors landed on their feet on the ground and then looked up at the sky where the hole they’d ripped through the clouds was closing. They could see the Dynasty castle crumbling and light spraying out everywhere. As their view disappeared they saw a huge explosion. Then their weapons appeared at their sides. The warriors bent down to pick them up.

    "Wow," Ryo broke the silence. "How’d we do that?" Ryo asked in reference to the destruction of Kubi and the Dynasty. The others looked over at him, and then Mia’s red Jeep pulled up. She hopped out and ran over to them.

    "Is everyone alright?!" she asked. They nodded. "Come on, let’s go home and you can tell me what happened."

    Later, everyone was sitting in Mia’s living room. Rowen in blue shirt with a black collar, Sage in a green shirt with a white sweater over it, Kento in his gray tee-shirt, Ryo in a tan sweater, Sai in a blue hoodie, Sarah in a red shirt with a blue sweater over it, and Katie in a tan blouse, and Mia in a violet blouse.

    "What exactly was that symbol, and how is it that you two could call it?" Sai asked.

    "I’m not quite sure," Sarah said.

    "But take a look at this," Katie said. She held out her crystal and pulled her dagger out of it. She held the butt of the dagger up to the group. The symbol was carved into the bottom of it. "And this." Then she pulled her helmet out, and motioned for Sarah to do the same. Sarah did, and they held out their helmets. Where the other Ronins had unique shapes on theirs, above the brim, on Katie’s and Sarah’s the symbol was there.

    "It seems to be something special to our two armors," Sarah said.

    "Maybe it’s the mark of your clan, and also its secret magic," Sage suggested.

    "But why would two armors come to one clan?" Kento asked. "It just doesn’t add up."

    "Well according to our letters from Kayura, there were two Shima sister clans, which coinsides with what my father told me.  He said that there were two sects of the Shima clan, one on Honshu, and one on Hokkaidoand that Katie and I are descended from both," Sarah said.

    "And we found Sarah on Hokkaido, and Katie on Honshu…" Sai began.

    "So the two sects must’ve gotten the armors," Sage finished.

    "Maybe these armors are here to meld us all together, if their clan’s symbol was made for the eight Ronin armors to stand on," Kento suggested. "It even resurrected the Inferno armor."

    "And our power on it was enough to destroy the castle, Kubi, and do significant damage to the rest of the Dynasty," Sage said. "It’s so strange."

    Then Sarah and Katie held their crystals, they glowed and swallowed up the helmets and Katie’s dagger.

    "When did you two learn how to do that?" Rowen asked.

    "When we were in the vortexes I needed my dagger so I could create the symbol, and I just knew to pull it out like that," Katie said.

    "Once she did it I realized I could too," Sarah added. "Why don’t you five try?" Sarah said. "Reach for your weapons."

    They five pulled out their crystals and concentrated, then each one pulled their weapon out of it. "Wow!" Ryo exclaimed.

    "Our crystals seemed to have more abilities once you two joined. Perhaps all the armors follow the same guide that the Ancient One said; that the armors gain strength when they’re together. He didn’t say it, but he probably knew about Glacier and Redoak, and that all seven armors would accomplish more once they were together," Sage said.

    Then, Anubis appeared in the room. "Congratulations on your victory Ronin Warriors. I never doubted that you could do it," he said.

    "Thanks Anubis," Sai responded, still awestruck that he pulled his spear out of his crystal.

    "And now that the task is done, I believe it is time for you two, Katie, and Sarah to return home," Anubis said, motioning at them with his staff.

    "Oh my God! Boston! I totally forgot all about it! They must be so worried about us over there!" Sarah exclaimed.

    "It’s alright, I took care of it," Anubis laughed. "They all think you came here on a foreign exchange trip, but now it is time to return."

    At the airport, Sarah and Katie brought the suitcases Mia purchased for them to the baggage drop and then returned to the group. Both were wearing their book bags and had purchased some tourist items, postcards and such to bring home with them. Sarah grabbed Rowen’s wrist and drew him away from the group.

    "I don’t know when I’ll see you again, so I thought I should do this now," she said. Then she stood on her toes and kissed him. "Goodbye, Rowen Hashiba of Strata."

    The girls exchanged hugs with everyone, but Katie’s hands lingered on Sage longer than the rest.

    "Flight 120 to Boston Massachusetts, is now boarding."

    "Well, time to go," Sarah said. They exchanged goodbyes and then the two sisters, Sarah Shima of Glacier and Katie Shima of Redoak boarded the plane back home, and away from Japan and the Ronin Warriors