Chapter 24

  The Bandit King

  Lightning coursed between the two flaming axes, exploding with static fury. Wolf slammed the shield of the man in front of him, creating a wave of amber fire that knocked over a swathe of the bandits. “GAH HAH HAA!” Wolf howled with laughter as he fought, and slammed the axes again.

  The twin war axes broke, snapping in half. The shafts fell away as bits of charcoal as the worn metal axe heads clattered to the ground. Wolf stood up straight and let go of the ashen remains of his weapons.

  “Ha! Now you don’t have weapons!” A bandit mocked, bearing a spear and advancing.

  Wolf titled his head. “You think so?” he clenched his fists. From one hand a flaming axe sprouted, and from the other, a mace of crackling lightning. “I’m an Elemaker! I never run out of weapons!” The bandits paled as the champion of fire and lightning advanced again, swinging his weapons with wild abandon.

  As Wolf dispatched another group of bandits, forcing most to flee, and many to collapse, he noticed that the fighting around him was getting easier. There were more people around, battling the bandits. Where did they come from?

  A man wearing white tights and a red cloth bunched around his shoulders slashed a bandit down and sheathed an ornate Katana, walking towards Wolf. The champion examined the man, he was lean and tall and seemed skilled. “You must be Wolf.” He said. “I am Hyato, pleasure to meet you.”

  “You know me?” Wolf said, “Well, I guess I am famous in some circles.”

  “You conquered Champion’s Tower.” Hyato said. “Of course I know you. I am one of Michael’s friends, did he mention us?”

  “He said he had some buddies, but didn’t go into it.” Wolf said, taking the moment of calm to stretch his arms and neck.

  “I am one of them, as are Yan and Sebastian.” Hyato said. “Yan is the small ninja girl, and Sebastian is the one wearing pink. Tell me, Wolf, do you want to help Michael?”

  “Well sure!” Wolf said. “He helped me out, saved my life, and is one hell of a fighter. I wanna help him out of here, and maybe fight him sometime.”

  “In that case, follow me when I beckon you. We have a plan to escape. The others here don’t want us to leave in peace.” Hyato said. “Be ready.”

  “Sure,” Wolf said, turning to face the newest advancing group of bandits. These ones seemed determined, but so was Wolf. “Sounds like a plan!” Wolf leapt into combat.

  Hyato picked a group and rushed forth, cutting down some stragglers and facing a swordsman. Hyato faced the enemy and took a moment to practice, trying a few different swings. The enemy here were all too weak, over reliant on their healing drugs, they didn’t use fear to avoid getting hit. Not much good for practice. Hyato shifted his thoughts, and kept moving.

  A group of bandits fell to the ground before Hyato could reach them. A petite woman stood behind where they had been and held up two fingers in greeting, “Yo, Hyato.” Yan said. “Hey, I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  “I’m listening.” Hyato said, swinging his sword at a foe on Yan’s right.

  “I have a plan to get out of here. There are secret passages, and once we can get Michael away from his fight we will slip through one.” Yan said. She swapped places with her energy double to take out another bandit. Hyato wondered how these bandits even survived the mountains.

  “How will we go through without being followed?” Hyato asked, though he remembered the answer.

  “There will be a big distraction, don’t worry.” Yan said.

  “Okay. I’ll let Wolf know, the guy Michael escaped with.” Hyato said.

  Yan looked over at Hyato, then over at the bright fiery battle. “That loud guy?” Hyato nodded. “Okay, if you say so.”

  “What’s the signal?” Hyato asked.

  “I’ll go get Michael when it's time, and my energy double will lead you to the passage.” Yan said. Hyato nodded, then ran into a fray of bandits. Yan swapped places with her double and started running along the battlefield. She was stopped here and there as foes surrounded her, but she needed to go speak to Sebastian.

  Bandits continued to throw themselves in the way of Yan’s advance. Their attacks were serious, but they didn’t feel like they were trying their hardest to kill her. Their efforts remained focused on surviving Yan’s counters. Were they planning to use their unlimited healing to tire everyone out? A good plan, but it wouldn’t work. Yan looked to the sky for a moment, the storm would arrive soon enough.

  “Thinking about your boooyfrieeend?” Yan whipped her head around to glare at Nayo. She was taller than Yan, and more... feminine.

  “He’s not- You- Shut up!” Yan said, “I’m not thinking anything like that! Get off my case!”

  Nayo giggled and kept pace with Yan as she continued to move through the battle. “You’re being really defensive Yan, did I strike a nerve?”

  “You’re totally wrong.” Yan said, “There’s nothing going on between Michael and me.”

  “Oh, did you think I meant him?” Nayo asked, feigning innocence, “I was talking about Sebastian, of course.”

  Yan’s eyes went flat, devoid of emotion. “You’ve lost your wits woman.” She said. Nayo giggled again.

  “Think whatever you like.” Nayo said, “I won't tell anyone about the weather, promise.”

  Yan took a breath, “Please Nayo.”

  “Don’t worry Sis,” Nayo said, smiling, “I won’t get in the way.” Yan smiled, and continued on her way, leaving Nayo in a patch of darkness in the courtyard. “I trust you.”

  The youngest of the ninjas turned to examine the area around her. Bandits fought with blind determination, they seemed like mindless toys at this point. Nayo wasn’t impressed with them, they were wasting resources on such a petty fight. So she might as well have some fun.

  Nayo leapt into the air and hopped from shoulder to shoulder, touching it one arm or leg here and there to propel herself around, knocking bandits awry while remaining out of their sight. It was fun, for a little.

  Something interesting was going on nearby, and Nayo closed in to look. The soldier boy with the big pack swung his club, smashing large orbs of energy around and into bandits. His face was serious, but it looked like fun. Nayo wondered what kinds of toys he had in that pack, maybe some more of those firestarters.

  With a long jump, Nayo landed in a space near him. “Hey there Pierre. Got any toys for me?” She asked.

  “Oh, hello miss.” Pierre said, “Uhm, what kind of toys do you mean?”

  “Something colorful, fiery, and maybe bright. Got any fireworks?” Nayo asked.

  “I don’t have any of those, but I do have something.” Pierre dug in his bag for a moment, while Nayo kept bandits back. The soldier withdrew a small transparent pouch of powder in various colors. “I use this to make the different colored fire starters. You could mix it with your smoke bombs or something.”

  “Ooh, I’ll take it.” Nayo said, and accepted the pouch Pierre offered. She danced off and was soon hidden behind a cloud of blue smoke. Pierre shook his head for a moment and refocused on the battle.

  Enemies all around, outlaws. Pierre lined up an attack and swung his bat, striking a ball of energy out to slam into the nearest of the bandits. He went down from the blow, a strong strike to the chest. This kind of battle was unwinnable, something needed to change the flow. Pierre didn’t worry, he would continue to fight for now, and leave the overall flow to Mien. For now, all he needed to do was keep knocking down the enemy. Their healing cream would be depleted at some point.

  Another battle came near. Pierre saw the brother Ninja dodge away from an attack, and respond with a few light strikes of his own. His enemies were dazed for a few moments while the Brother retreated back a little ways.

  Pierre lined up another strike and knocked one of the Bandits back several yards with a shot to his core. “You know,” Pierre said, “You should finish them with a strong attack after dazing them.”

  “For these enemies, it wouldn’t work.” Aeroth said. “They’d just heal and come back.” He looked at Pierre’s next club shot. “You need to loosen up. You’re using too much force, those balls should be bouncing between targets.”

  “I want to deplete their healing, so I take them out in one go.” Pierre said, firing off another shot. His right shoulder was beginning to be sore.

  “You’ll deplete yourself first.” Aeroth said, striking his foes with light jabs. He paused, and instead of retreating delivered a strong kick to the gut of the foe he faced, making him crumple to the ground. He wasn’t dead, but he would have trouble getting that can of healing cream open. “I think I will take your advice.”

  Pierre lined up another shot, and considered it. He swung, using less power in the swing. It wasn’t as fast, but when it struck it bounced away. With a little practice, this could work. “I’ll try yours.”

  “Whatever makes you happy.” Aeroth said. He finished off the foes he had been kiting around the battlefield, and looked for more, “See you.” Aeroth said, and jumped into the night.

  The cool air of the mountains was settled in this old ruin, despite all the combat and fire being tossed around. Aeroth felt the wind on his back as he soared over bandits that were milling about healing and trying to get back into battle. Many of the bandits were sneaking away, bored or tired of fighting perhaps. Then at least this combat would not continue forever.

  Aeroth landed in another of the open spaces, surrounded by armed bandits looking for trouble in moments. “You guys serious about this?” Aeroth asked. He didn’t give them time to respond. Aeroth built wind around him and rushed forth, slamming each foe in the face with a palm strike before spinning to a stop. He panted from the effort of the Tech.

  More bandits fell nearby, and Aeroth looked over to see a sphere of blades. Or rather, a dance of swords that created a barrier of attack and defense, moving without ceasing. The twin blades that danced through the air and sundered enemy defenses belonged to Mien. The wayward warrior ended his attacks as the last bandit near him collapsed.

  “That was an impressive attack,” Aeroth said. “Your blades move like the wind.”

  “High praise, from one of the Aeronemar clan.” Mien said.

  “So you knew.” Aeroth said, “Well, I’m not really surprised. My family has done work for yours in the past.”

  “We should not waste time chatting.” Mien said. “Focus on these enemies. We need to find a way to drive them back.”

  “I figure we should just leave, since this is their base and all.” Aeroth said, “But, if you say so.”

  “Taking them out now will only benefit everyone in the long run.” Mien said. He slashed again, though kept himself from dealing killing blows.

  “Whatever you say.” Aeroth said, moving on to the next targets. Mien continued to take out bandits, and fewer were returning to the battlefield. Their morale must be breaking, since they were doing almost no damage to just ten enemies. “Probably.” Mien said.

  “Thinking out loud?” This time it was Kris that arrived. “You shouldn’t do that in battle.”

  “I can deal with my habits later,” Mien said. “What’s important now is extracting Michael and taking him back for the investigation.”

  “Do you think he did it?” Kris asked. She was not having any trouble maintaining her shield in the face of her foes. None wanted to step too close to her spear.

  “I need more information, and there is nothing else to go on.” Mien said. “He might be the culprit, but his allies don’t want to talk about it either. Something happened that day.”

  “As long as my hometown is avenged.” Kris said, “I don’t care what else happens.” Mien gave Kris a worried look, but she didn’t see it. She began a charge to take out a new target, roaring a battle cry.

  Chaos and battle was a familiar field for Kris. Whether it was scuffling with the people back home, fighting for survival when attacked by Zori, or the grueling ten month training of the military force, Kris spent much of her life like this. Now more than ever, battle was a welcome distraction. She didn’t have to think or feel, just fight and survive. Her heart raced without worry, her emotions raged without weight. She could be free of her burdens.

  Kris charged into her enemies, slamming them with her shield and gouging them with her spear. They fell, scattered, and lost before her. As she continued to break their formations and crush their spirit, Kris could feel her own spirit soaring.

  “Seems like you’re having fun.” A smarmy voice said from nearby. “Maybe we should get together after the battle and celebrate.”

  Sebastian wove magic around himself to keep the enemy back as he moved near Kris’s side. She looked at the flirtatious Evari with narrowed eyes. “You’re just trying to get me into bed.”

  Sebastian smiled and shook his head, causing his pink shirt to flutter about and show his exposed chest some. He had already put away that tactician’s coat of his. “Oh, dear Kris, I feel you are much more of a woman than that. I would only wish to ease your stress and show you comfort.”

  Kris blushed for a moment, then hardened her face, “You won’t sway me with your hollow words.”

  “I shall leave you be, if that is your wish.” Sebastian said, “But I do not speak hollow words. You are a mighty warrior, but also a beauty. I do not want to see you overwhelmed with stress.” He looked at Kris in the eyes for a long moment. “You are worth more than you give yourself credit for.” Kris was locked in his gaze for several long moments. A deep pain she had been ignoring started to ache in her heart.

  “Do not ignore your troubles.” Sebastian said, departing to allow the soldier woman some peace without his company. He moved towards the walls of the courtyard, where pillars supported the overlook of the fortress walls themselves. Sebastian noted the numerous torch sconces on the walls, they seemed to go unused.

  Yan appeared next to him, “Ah.” Sebastian said, “There you are.”

  “Sebastian.” Yan said, “I have a plan.”

  “Go ahead and tell me.” Sebastian said. Yan was about to speak, when a bloodcurdling scream filled the air! Yan and Sebastian looked to the raised plaza in the courtyard, and saw a woman fall. Michael looked over, and seemed confused. “Well.” Sebastian said. “You’d best tell me fast.”

  The doors of the central keep opened, creaking with age and weight. From within the keep stepped a tall brute wearing heavy leathers and carrying a sharp red scimitar that shone with a golden sheen. The Bandit King affixed a solid metal horned helmet atop his head, the crimson fur of his clawed hand matching the hair that stuck out from beneath the helmet. He glared down at Michael. “What have you done to my Caller?”

  For a moment, Michael didn’t move. Then he raised his sword and took a defensive stance, keeping his guard up. The Bandit King growled out a laugh, “Gah haha! Fine! Let’s fight.” The Bandit King stomped his foot forth, creating a surge impact that shook the ground and sent a shockwave. Michael split the surge with his sword and unleashed Dark Blade.

  The Bandit King was launched into the air, but unleashed a heavy surge from his entire back, slamming back to the ground. Michael dodged the attack, but was struck by the Bandit King’s follow up surge. “Fool!” He roared.

  The surge struck Michael and knocked him to the ground. He spun to his feet as the Bandit King stomped a shockwave again. The shockwave hit, and pushed Michael back a few feet as he guarded with his arms. The Feral foe Michael faced charged and swung his scimitar down with immense strength. Michael brought up his sword to parry, and they clashed for a moment before both warriors were forced back a few steps.

  “You’re better than I thought.” The Bandit King said. “Good. I’ve been wanting a good fight.”

  “You’ll get what you deserve.” Michael said. He sheathed his sword and created a fireball, arcing it into the air to descend upon the Bandit King. The fireball spread out into a cone in a burst of flames. The Bandit King swept his sword out in an arc and sent a shockwave up to disperse the flames.

  “What was that supposed to be?” The Bandit King said, snorting.

  “A distraction.” Michael lifted a stone plate from the ground and launched it towards the Bandit King. The plate raised and stood on its end for a moment, then began to fall towards its target. The Bandit King took a wide stance and charged a flex into his free right fist. Like Michael, he held his sword in the left hand.

  Just before the plate fell, Michael struck the ground and sent the thin black lines of Dark Blade crawling up the plate. The burst of energy had no ground to push against, and sent the plate crashing down much faster than it had been before. The heavy chunk of stone slammed into the Bandit King, shattering into chunks the size and smaller than a head.

  Covered in dust and blood, the Bandit King was shaken for a moment, his fist still held at the ready to intercept. His possessed eyes flashed with rage as the realization of what happened hit him like a stone plate. “You look floored.” Michael said.

  The Bandit King growled in fury and charged forth, taking his sword in both hands as he began to swing with wild abandon. Michael lifted his sword to parry and block, intercepting each of the Bandit King’s many repeated slashes! The swords clashed over and over, sending waves of force up Michael’s arm each time, and forcing him to step back as the Bandit King advanced.

  “GRAAAH!” The Bandit King yelled, slamming again and again as Michael just held his sword steady, unable to brace with his other hand due to his sword’s sharpness. Michael felt his arm twitch and tense with each of the brutal blows he blocked.

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  A furious energy gathered around the Bandit King’s sword as he slammed down one last time with all his might! Michael blocked the blow with his sword, dropping to one knee from the impact, and held his defense.

  The swords were locked against one another, clashing for control. Michael was on one knee and lowered, his body tense and aching. The Bandit King had total leverage dominance, pressing his sword down and pushing the clashed swords ever closer to Michael. The sharp edge of the crystal sword pressed closer, pushed near Michael’s neck by the heavy reddish scimitar bearing down on it. Michael groaned in pain as the weight of the Bandit King pushed down on the swords.

  “Hate...” Michael said through clenched teeth. He pushed back, summoning what might he had left. He pushed his left wrist with his right arm, and tried to stand to push the Bandit King back. His legs didn’t listen, remaining pinned under the weight above, so Michael tried again. He forced his body to act, and focused on winning the clash. Michael stood!

  The black blade of Michael's sword pushed into the red scimitar, then Michael pushed himself to a standing position to force the Bandit King back. The larger opponent did not yield! But his sword did.

  A sharp crack split the air as Michael completed a slash, and the Bandit King stumbled back. He maintained his footing, but a sharp metal plate flew past him and into the ground. The Bandit King’s scimitar was cut in half! “Fuck!” The Bandit King sword, “That was Adaznium! You asshole!”

  Michael panted as he stole a moment to recover, “Like I care.” He said.

  The Bandit King discarded the broken sword and clenched his hands, bearing sharp claws on each of his furred fingers. “I’ll make you regret messing with me, empty eyes!”

  A flash of light blinded everyone for a moment, followed by a rumbling that seemed to shake the ground, the air, and their very bones. The thunder boomed for several long seconds all around, as the storm arrived.

  The crimson eyes of the revenant glared at Michael through the Bandit King as the two warriors faced off. The winds picked up around them, howling across the mountains. Droplets of rain began to fall, a pitter patter at first. As the rains picked up to a torrent, another bolt of lightning blinded the area with light. As the thunder rolled in, Michael and the Bandit King rushed at one another, each swinging with brutal determination.

  The oncoming storm threw the overall battle on its head. Many bandits began to panic, leaving the courtyard in haste. Mien looked around with a suspicious stare as half the enemy ran. He did not wonder why for long. Wind and rain twisted together, crackling with green lightning, as new enemies formed. Their upper bodies were bulky, and they each had four deadly limbs, narrow tendrils with lightning spears at the end. Their lower bodies were spirals of wind, from which their spherical water torso grew. Mien refocused his combat stance as the Elazori appeared. It was not alone.

  In the moments following the second lightning bolt, a dozen of the Storm Zori materialized. They looked all around the courtyard, then struck out! One of the Storm Zori near Mien slashed into him with a lightning arm, cutting through his ranger leathers and sending a jolt of pain into him. It took a burst of energy for Mien to break himself free.

  Mien lashed forth to strike down the Storm Zori, swinging his blades in a complex arc before him. One of its tendrils was sundered, but another struck with the lightning spear. The shock coursed through Mien and knocked him back again. He was considering his next move when someone appeared nearby. “Don’t worry.” She said, infusing two kunai with swirling cyan energy. Nayo threw her weapons, and the kunai knives swerved in midair, dodging the tendrils and striking the Storm Zori in its torso. The energy stored in the Kunai detonated, and popped the bubble of water that made up the Zori, ending it.

  “Storm Zori often appear with thunderstorms in the mountains.” Nayo said. “Sorry we didn’t tell you before.”

  “It’s okay.” Mien said, standing. “There are only ten more, give or take. Shouldn’t be hard.” A lightning bolt struck the roof of the fortress, and with it another dozen Storm Zori materialized.

  “It’s harder than you think.” Nayo said.

  “We need to group up.” Mien said, scanning the battle. The center of the courtyard had a bright beacon to gather around, the amber flames and lightning of the Phanokai warrior. “Let’s go to him.”

  The Elazori called by the storm grew more aggressive, lashing out at the bandits and anyone else in their way. Mien and Nayo reached the central area where Wolf fought two of the Storm Zori. They lashed out at him with lightning, to which he responded with great violence. Wolf caught the lightning of his foes and made it his own. Hyato and Aeroth had also arrived near Wolf.

  Aeroth dispatched one of the Elazori and looked around. “We’re missing a few people.” He noted.

  “Kris and Pierre,” Mien said, “As well as Sebastian and your sister.” He looked around the courtyard, spotting several groups of bandits struggling against Storm Zori. “I don’t see them.”

  “We should go find them.” Aeroth said, “They could be in trouble.”

  “I’ll go!” Wolf roared, “I can block these Zori’s puny lightning blasts.” The man gave a confident smirk, but also seemed winded and bruised, worn out.

  “You can’t” Mien said, “Do you even know what they look like?”

  “Err, not really.” Wolf said, deflating.

  “It should be me, I am the stealthiest.” Nayo said.

  “And what about Michael?” Aeroth looked to the plaza at the north of the courtyard, where the Bandit King and Michael were trading blows with growing ferocity. Another bolt of lightning struck! The courtyard flashed and rumbled as stones scattered, the bolt struck within the fortress again, and a dozen or more of the powerful Storm Zori appeared. Five more in the immediate vicinity charged the group, forcing everyone on the defensive.

  Wolf lashed out at the first, but took two heavy hits that dropped him to the ground. Mien was able to dodge and counter one of the Storm Zori, unleashing a powerful tech to sunder it apart. One down, but more were taking notice of the group.

  Nayo, Aeroth, Mien, and Wolf fought on the defensive, attempting to cover for one another and survive. Hyato blinked as he looked around, as if taking in the surrounding area for the first time. “Help us!” Aeroth cried out to Hyato.

  Hyato nodded, “Very well.” He took the bunched up red cloth he wore as a mantle and swung it off himself, unfolding it. He donned the crimson duster, which hung below his calves, and took the ribbon out of his hair. His ponytail unfurled into long straight hair that fell behind him, together with the coat changing his look in its entirety.

  “What are you doing...?” Hyato did not answer Mien’s question, and instead drew his katana.

  Time seemed to slow around Hyato as he took in a breath, clearing the sound of rain, the smell of metal, and the feeling of danger from his senses. He took in utter calm, and his eyes snapped open. A light like lightning danced around the group, a red blur of energy that cut through the air and stopped the rain. In the space of a breath, all seven Storm Zori attacking the group were sundered, and faded into naught. At the end of the red trail, Hyato appeared. His coat and hair billowed around him, along with a lingering aura of red force concentrated around his sword. He turned his gaze around the battlefield. “Wait here.” Hyato the Red ordered, “I will be back.”

  Before anyone could react, Hyato flew into battle. He soared over the ground with a single horizontal leap, bringing a blazing red sword with him as one continuous slash. He flowed past a group of Storm Zori without pausing. The Elazori watched him pass, then faded as red slashes appeared on them to tear them apart.

  Everywhere Hyato the Red went, the rain ceased. The very skies split by his cut, ending the downpour in a path behind him for several long seconds. Hyato leapt from Zori to Zori in an endless attack. To the others, he seemed to be flying along the ground. He was aware of every slash, every jump, every pivot and correction he made. He just didn’t have time to make any mistakes or slow down. Another lightning bolt struck, bringing with it even more of the Storm Zori. Those that encountered Hyato were destroyed before they could even look around.

  “Hurry now.” Hyato said, arriving where Kris and Sebastian were. He had already slain the Storm Zori they were fighting before they noticed his arrival. “Go to the others.” Hyato pointed out the path he had made to Wolf’s blazing flames. Sebastian and Kris had nodded moments before Hyato sped off again.

  The red swordsman found his final quarry and destroyed the Storm Zori around her. “Yan.” Hyato said, “What do you want to do?”

  Yan blinked in confusion at Hyato, then at the Storm Zori. “What-”

  “Not the time for questions.” Hyato said.

  Yan shook her head and nodded. “Fine. I’m going to Michael. Help the others.” Hyato nodded and swung his sword through the air. The energy wave he released was so fine and fast, it was not visible during the downpour. A corridor free of rain leading to the main plaza appeared for Yan, the empty space created by Hyato’s slash. She looked at it, held back her curiosity, and ran for Michael.

  Rain and lightning crashed all around the two locked in brutal combat, but did not steer the focus of their death match. Michael used Flash Blade to warp past the Bandit King, then Dark Blade to launch him. The first attack worked, but the Bandit King dug his claws into the ground and took the full impact of Dark Blade to the chest. He growled in fury and rushed at Michael, slamming into him with his shoulder.

  Michael bounced twice as he tumbled across the ground, but managed to get to his feet. He swung his sword again, unleashing a Force Sword that struck the Bandit King as he charged again. The Bandit King was dazed, having braced for another Dark Blade instead of a direct attack. To follow his success, Michael swung out a surge slash that ripped the air with a large crescent.

  The surge slash hit the Bandit King’s helmet and sent it flying. The Feral leader of the bandit froze as his helmet clattered away, lost in the haze of the storm. His rage seemed to vanish, then it returned with a vengeance, “NOOO!” He roared, “My bald spot!”

  A small bald spot about the size of a palm atop the Bandit King’s head gleamed in the exposed light of the arena. He roared in fury, “Feral’s aren’t supposed to be bald!” He complained, launching himself at Michael. There was no time for laughter as the raging enemy bore down upon him. Michael slashed to defend himself, but the Bandit King took the hit and grappled Michael by the shirt, heaving him into the air.

  A moment of panicked writhing as he was lifted was soon ended as Michael was slammed into the ground. Pain rushed through his body and his vision was lost for a moment. Michael tried to recover, but found himself lifted and slammed into the ground again, harder! He bounced up and was punched, sent tumbling along the ground again. He heard cracking and felt dozens of bleeding wounds open up. He was sure something had broken as he lifted himself up again.

  With red hot fury in his face, Michael glared at the Bandit King. “Hate...” He seethed, coughing and bleeding from his tongue. The Bandit King was upon him again, and pushed Michael into the stone railing around the plaza.

  Hot pain shot through Michael’s back as the Bandit King pushed him down against the railing. “I’ll break you!” The Bandit King said, pressing harder. He seemed bigger than before.

  The grip Michael still had on his sword tightened. As the pain spiked, Michael seethed again, “I... Hate... You!” He said.

  “Do I look like I care?” The Bandit King asked, his face still scrunched up in fury. A cracking noise sounded as Michael was pressed harder against the railing. The Bandit King smirked as he felt Michael’s body spasm. Then the Bandit King frowned.

  “HATE!” Michael roared, pushing back the Bandit King from sheer volume, “HAAAAAAAAATE!” A shockwave of fury exploded from Michael, cracking the stone railing and pushing the Bandit King to the ground. The shockwave echoed throughout the fortress and the mountains, stopping the downpour of rain.

  The scars on Michael’s face inverted to a shocking white as his skin darkened to a stormy grey. Michael’s spiked hair stood up and back, becoming black and semi-transparent. Michael took a step forth, cracking the ground as the Bandit King crawled back. White Feral claws erupted from the black fingers of Michael’s right hand as he stepped forth again. Then he pointed his sword at the Bandit King. “I... Hate... Everything.” Dark Michael said with a pause for emphasis. “Especially you.”

  The Bandit King rose to his feet, just in time for Dark Michael to slam into him with a flying knee. The larger man was sent tumbling, but before he stopped rolling Dark Michael was already above him. Dark Michael slammed his hand into the Bandit King, smashing him into the ground to stop his momentum. Then he stabbed him with the black sword, making the Bandit King cry out in pain. “Louder.” Dark Michael said.

  The Revenant, in his stolen body, kicked Dark Michael off of him and jumped to his feet. He charged and slammed into Dark Michael with a barrage of brutal blows. “Die!” Dark Michael took two rounds of a three hit combo, then began to dodge.

  “Too easy.” Dark Michael complained, moving out of the attacks with an almost lazy grace. “Mix it up won’t you?” Dark Michael spun into a kick, followed by a surge slash, then finished with a punch to the gut. The Bandit King was dazed, but recovered. Dark Michael went in for another spin kick, which the Bandit King went to block.

  The kick was a feint, Dark Michael struck the ground and launched the Bandit King airborne with Dark Blade. The Bandit King sailed up and tumbled down. He caught a glimpse below, where Dark Michael stood with his sword raised to skewer the falling bandit.

  A surge burst from the back sent the Bandit King flying into the ground, but he avoided being punctured. He rose again, energy pouring off of him as he gathered his force. “That’s it!” The Bandit King said. “I’m ending this!”

  Dark Michael approached with a slow gait, and the Bandit King roared a furious battle cry. A massive surge shook the plaza ground and burst forth, fueled by a continuous flow of energy. The attack slammed into Dark Michael, smashing into him like an iron wall and hammering again and again with continuous waves of auburn energy.

  As his attack ended the Bandit King fell to a knee and began panting. His body shook from the effort of that final attack, and he clutched his chest as the adrenaline began to wear off. “Maybe I should use that healing stuff.” He said. “Such a cheap tactic...” With a begrudged look of disappointment in himself, he dug through his pockets to pull out an immaculate unopened can of the miracle healing that his elite officers had created. He popped the lid off the can.

  The hairs on the back of his neck crawled with fear, and the Bandit King looked up. A clawed hand smacked the tin aside and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him a foot into the air. “H-how...?” The Bandit King croaked.

  “Now!” Dark Michael said, blood from his mouth and neck staining his armor, “You die.” The Bandit King tried to speak, but was silenced as the grip on his neck tightened. Blood pooled from the claw marks on his neck.

  “No! Michael, stop!”

  Dark Michael turned to see the woman, her emerald eyes shone with fury, sadness, and worry. “Silence, woman.” Dark Michael said.

  “Michael, you can’t do this!” Yan said, getting closer.

  “Shut up, woman!” Dark Michael said.

  Yan clutched Dark Michael’s shirt, tugging at him, “Please Michael, don’t.”

  “Dammit woman!” Dark Michael said. “Michael isn’t here right now!”

  “Please.” Yan pressed her head against Michael’s chest.

  “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.” Dark Michael crushed the Bandit King’s throat, dropping his corpse to the plaza floor. He tossed the chunk of blood and neck from his hand with a snarl.

  Yan tugged again, “Please, stop.”

  Dark Michael raised his fist, glaring down at Yan with utter contempt. He bared his teeth. “I warned y- Agkh!” Dark Michael sputtered and coughed up blood, “Bit mah tongue!” He complained. His fist twitched, his eyes glazed over, and he fell back onto the plaza. Yan tumbled with Michael, still clutching his chest, and crying. The fury of battle was fading, and Dark Michael snorted. “Yeah, whatever.” Then the darkened skin reverted and Michael looked at himself.

  The rain had long since stopped, due to the sheer might of Dark Michael’s arrival, but the storm was still present. When the battle between the two powerful forces ended, both had fallen. The Bandit, King, a warrior that had gathered together outlaws with charisma and might, was dead. King had always been his name, giving the man a natural tendency to lead.

  In contrast, Michael was no one at all. No memory older than the week or so he had been around. Now, having undergone the stress of changing into something dark for the third time, he felt shocked. Michael looked himself over. His hand was bloodied, his foe was dead, and Yan was crying. He began to breathe faster, unable to suck in enough air. Choking coughs of blood and tears made Michael spasm as he tried to breathe. He couldn’t... he couldn’t breathe.

  Michael started to hyperventilate and choke on his blood, his sword clattering to the ground as he clutched his neck with his left hand. He couldn’t bear to bring his right hand close to his face. Michael felt pain and dizziness shoot through his head, blanking his vision.

  Calm struck Michael in the chest like a fuzzy wall of comfort. He felt as Yan’s meditation soothed him, and he caught his breath. He took several moments to breathe as the storm above let loose one more lightning bolt. None of the Storm Zori spawned nearby, but Michael heard fighting below.

  “Better?” Yan asked.

  Michael nodded, then closed his eyes, “I remember.” He said.

  “What?” Yan asked. “What do you remember?”

  “I remember my time... as Dark Michael.” He admitted. “I killed him.”

  “It... that wasn’t... Dark Michael did that...” Yan said.

  “Dark Michael did....” Michael said. “But he’s still Michael, right? My rage... my hate.” He looked at the Bandit King. A feeling of sorrow and guilt wracked at Michael. But, was it over? The Revenant finally defeated? Michael felt the stress of battle in his limbs, and fatigue hit him. “We should leave.” Michael said.

  Yan pulled away from Michael, blushing a bit now that he was feeling better. “Where will we go?”

  “Nita, I suppose.” Michael said. “It was nice there.”

  “Yeah, it was.” Yan said. She looked at Michael, feeling her own guilt. She needed to apologize, now was the time, “Michael...”

  Michael shot to his feet, staggering for a moment. Yan followed his gaze, and saw a spiraling erratic energy coalesce above the body of the Bandit King. The revenant took shape, and Michael looked for his sword.

  Though weakened from battle, Michael grabbed his sword and approached, ready to end it once and for all. “It’s time to end you,” Michael said, taking a battle stance. The Revenant was almost reformed, and Michael rushed forth.

  Two figures dropped from the roof of the fortress. One landed before Michael and pushed him back, making him fall on his ass. “No.” The voice from inside the armor said.

  “Keh heheheheh.” A scratchy hollow voice laughed, “It’s hardly ever over. It’s only just begun.” Vero said, his black robes billowing about. Under one arm he carried the unconscious Vy, who seemed to have been fully healed by the cream. He placed her in front of the Revenant.

  The Revenant leapt forth into Vy on instinct, its sluggish energy merging to the naked caller woman as she was unable to resist. Michael and Yan both rushed forth, only to be slapped back by the person in armor.

  The titanic suit of full plate glared down at Yan and Michael. The armor was a deep grey-purple, and every joint was armored with underlying plates that seemed to interlock too well. The armored warrior spoke again, “Back off.”

  Vero picked up the Vy as the revenant took up residence inside of her. “We got what we came for.” He said. “Velicio, we’re leaving.” A black cloud appeared beneath Vero’s feet and he jumped to the roof, then beyond sight, carrying Vy and the revenant with him.

  “No!” Michael said, taking a few steps and staggering in the direction Vero fled. “Damn! No!”

  “We’ll be waiting.” Velicio said. Michael and Yan turned to look at the imposing armored giant. “At the Shards of the Sky.”

  “What? Where is that?” Yan asked.

  “If you wish to stop my brother.” Velicio said, “Seek us there, in Cryston.” Before Yan asked another question, Velicio jumped. Despite the full plate of armor, Velicio was able to reach the roof from that standing jump, and soon vanished.

  “Damnit.” Michael swore. “DAMNIT!”

  “Michael!” Yan snapped. “We have no time.” She pressed her hands together and an emerald clone made of energy appeared next to her. “Follow my double and use energy on the torch sconce.”

  “Okay.” Michael said, not bothering to question her. The shiny emerald Yan ran to the northeast, and Michael followed. Yan rushed to the south end of the plaza to examine the courtyard.

  The place was in shambles. Huge chunks of ground were torn apart. There were several dead bandits, and the rest had fled in the chaos. Three Storm Zori remained, harassing the rest of their mismatched group. These three were larger and stronger than the others, and Hyato did not seem to be powered up anymore. Yan smirked, she knew their secret. So did Nayo.

  Yan rushed forth to join the others, just as one of the huge Storm Zori was taken down by a combined attack involving all of the other warriors. “One down.” Mien panted, strained to near exhaustion from fighting.

  “I have a plan!” Yan said as she arrived. “Hyato, Sebastian, Wolf, Nayo, you guys handle that one.” She pointed at one of the Storm Zori, and winked at Sebastian. “Kite it to the north and hold it off. We’ll handle the other one and pincer attack.” Sebastian nodded and led the others away. Wolf was hesitant, but followed. One of the Storm Zori followed that group.

  “Okay, what’s our plan then?” Kris asked, her hair blew about a little, but the winds were dying down.

  “First, lead it this way!” Yan said, running east, “Come on!” The Storm Zori followed, as did the others with some reluctance.

  Yan issued orders to the others, moving them into position. They remained on the defensive, waiting for Yan’s signal to attack. “Is it time yet?” Mien asked, growing impatience in his voice.

  “Just a little longer.” Yan cautioned, looking up. The clouds were almost gone from above the fortress, the light of the moons was starting to return. It was almost time. “Hold...”

  Nayo ran over from the north, “Yan! The others are gone!” She said in a panicked voice. The Storm Zori was following her.

  “What?!” Mien said. “What happened?”

  “Well, you see.” Yan said, grinning. “Storm Zori are strong, but they have a big weakness.” The two Storm Zori faded into mist and seemed to flow into the sky. “They are only here while the Storm is around.”

  Pierre and Kris blinked and looked around, while Mien’s eyes widened. “You...”

  “It was fun.” Yan said, sticking out her tongue. “Thanks for all the help.” She was replaced with an emerald energy double that kept her tongue sticking out for a moment, then crackled away into static.

  Mien looked around the courtyard. Yan, Hyato, Sebastian, Wolf... and Michael, were nowhere to be found. He slammed his hand onto the ground. “Damnit!”

  Aeroth turned a glare to Nayo, who hid a smirk behind a small paper fan pulled from her pocket. The ninja brother shook his head and sighed. “I should have wondered why they didn’t mention the Storm Zori eccentricities before. Thought you guys knew. Sorry.”

  The tunnel that Yan had found after her trip to the dungeon took the party far from the fortress and out into the mountains. Michael couldn’t make the trip, so Wolf picked him up to carry him. “I’m Wolf, by the way.” He said to the others. “So, where are we headed?”

  “Good question.” Sebastian said. “What happened to the Revenant in all of that? Do we need to head back?”

  “The Bandit King had been possessed by the Revenant.” Yan said, “But in their fight, Dark Michael awoke and killed him.”

  “Really?” Sebastian said, “How fortuitous.”

  “Not really.” Yan said. “The Revenant escaped his body unharmed, and before we could attack Vero appeared. This time some guy named Velicio, all armor and power, showed up too. Velicio blocked us while Vero had the Revenant possess that Caller bitch.”

  “I see.” Sebastian said. “So now we have to figure out how to track Vero and Velicio then.” He rubbed at his chin, his mind abuzz with thoughts. He closed his eyes to silence them as they continued down the long stone tunnel.

  “No.” Yan said, “After Vero took the bandit lady away, Velicio told us that they would be waiting in Cryston.”

  “That’s an entire Kingdom.” Wolf said. “How will we find them?”

  “In the Shards of the Sky.” Yan finished.

  Sebastian froze in his tracks. Everyone else stopped too, except for the stoic Hyato. “Sebastian?” Yan asked.

  “The Shards of the Sky.” Sebastian said. “We have a long road ahead of us.” He resumed walking, and the party escaped the bandit fortress with Michael, returning to the Drakmor Mountains.