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"Just great!!" Tyra shouted as she threw her hands up in the air. "Do you have any idea how hard it is to find good help these days? Then those cats come in and they suddenly take over! How frustrating can this get? Royda! Get here already!"
"What is with her and your sister?" Mia whispered to Kayura as they watched the woman's tirade. "She's obsessed with her."
"Royda was the only one that could even beat her," Kayura answered. "I think she has this mentality that if you can't beat them, make them join you."
"That's what she wants with me." Mia's hand settled on her still flat stomach.
"And she won't get it. If I read her right, it means that the guys are getting the upper hand. They'll be here soon to get us out."
***
"Mira!" Anubis shouted for the girl over the roar of the battle. "Locate that door so we can get out of here!"
The girl nodded once and headed for a clearing with not many people in the way. She concentrated all her powers on locating that door and left herself defenseless. It was a good thing that the others were looking after her.
"Everybody split and take a side," Royda commanded. She didn't care that most of them didn't know what she would do. "Kishin, instruct KA. I have to go help Mira." She turned and left them.
"What is she talking about?" Rowen asked after shooting an arrow through the army.
"Nevermind what she said. We have to execute it first." She pulled him aside and started to tell him the plan. As she finished, they went on opposite directions to tell the others.
The others more or less followed their instructions even though they thought they were a little open. The soldiers looked amongst each other as the group split into two groups. They didn't surround them and that puzzled the free-thinking soldiers.
"Don't anybody move until they attack," Kishin told everybody.
"But we're doing KA. We are not in the mountains," Reva pointed out.
"I know that. You can talk it out with Royda later."
"What's KA?" Cye asked Reva as she went back in line.
"It stands for Koya Assault. It's suppose to work when we're somewhere high. I don't see any place high."
Before he could say anything back to her, the soldiers attacked. The original puzzlement that Reva felt about the choice of tactics was suddenly gone when she saw the others fight back. They were all spread out enough that they were able to fight on their own but have help within reach. The soldiers however had difficulty moving since they were so many of them. It was all too surprising for all of them.
***
Her sister came up behind her but she didn't know why. She had felt her hands on her shoulders and could feel power surrounding her, protecting her. Her mind seemed to clear and she quickly found the door and opened it. Mira opened her eyes and looked up to her sister that was looking at the glowing door.
"Keep it opened and clear," the other told the younger. "I'll go find the Ronin leader to help us."
"Why him?"
"The others have a reason to be concerned for either women we're trying to rescue. He seems to be the only one that would keep his head straight if we go in there."
"But what about Ken...? Nevermind, I think I just answered my own question."
Royda ignored her question and comment and looked for Ryo instead. She saw him taking care of the soldiers with White Blaze by his side. Without warning, she blasted the soldiers around him with a few well placed fireballs and dragged him back to where she left her sister. He shrugged her hold away and was about to ask what the big deal was when they both started to glow.
"What the...?"
The light subsided and they were in their full armors without their helmets. Ryo stared at both of them, fascinated at how much they looked similar to theirs. He couldn't believe the similarities between his armor and Royda's. The two were almost identical.
"Who are you guys?" Instead of answering him, Royda grabbed a shoulder and Ryo could hear it sizzle and smoke on his armor. He tried to pull away again but he was paralyzed. Before he knew what was happening, the pain consumed him then disappeared. He stood there next to them, new life and power coursing its way through his armor. Wildfire glowed with a new energy flowing through it. He looked down at his hands and looked at them. "How...?"
"You ask too many questions Wildfire," Royda interrupted her. "We need your help. Are you willing to give it?"
"Well, yeah I..."
"Then let's go."
She turned to her sister then nodded. Mira nodded back and stepped into the doorway. With her hand still on his shoulder, Royda dragged Ryo through the doorway even through his protests.
Good luck guys, Kishin thought. Get back here safe.
***
He stumbled out of the doorway and was somewhat grateful that somebody was holding him up. When he regained his balance, the hand let go of his shoulder. He looked around and found himself in a place much like Talpa's castle back in the world they just left.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Ryo asked. Royda and Mira quickly turned on him.
"Why don't you just yell it to the whole castle?!" Mira urgently whispered.
"Take Wonder-Boy over there and look for Mira and Kayura," Royda told her. "I'll go find the host and tell her they're leaving."
"No need to look Royda-chan," a voice form above the stairs said. "I'm right here."
All three turned to the stairs and looked up. Ryo saw a pretty girl with long white hair and an armor like nothing he had ever seen. She walked down but didn't look at anybody but Royda. Mira backed away, taking Ryo with her. When Tyra got down, she stood in front of Royda, their eyes at the same level. Before anything could happen, Mira took hold of Ryo's arm and ran up the stairs with him.
"Aren't you going to go help her?" Ryo asked as he tried not to stumble over his own feet as they ascended he stairs.
"She can take care of her, always has. We'll just get in the way." They stopped at the landing and began to look around. "We've got a few minutes before Tyra starts to really think. She gets a little distracted when they start to fight. In that time, I say we get Mia and Kayura out of here."
"Sounds like a plan to me."
They both ran down hallways and corridors, listening and opening doors to rooms. There was yelling from somewhere and both could recognize it but couldn't pin point it. When they turned down one dark hall, the yelling became greater and they ran down it. At the end, a tall double door stood before them with magic written all over it. Mira touched it and quickly pulled back as if burned.
"What's wrong?" Ryo came up beside her to see.
"It burns." She looked up and down the door to see what it was that burned her.
"No problem then." He placed both hands on each door and pushed.
"What do you think you are doing?" She tried to pull him away. "Are you trying to kill yourself?"
"Relax. I'm Wildfire, remember?" He continued to push and the door slid open.
They both stopped when the impact of the room came. Its high ceilings reached towards the darkness and disappeared while its corners were brightly lit. A throne was right in front of them and to its left were the women they were looking for. Both of them ran over there but Mira quickly stopped and managed to stop Ryo before he went on.
"Why did you?" Ryo looked at the girl. She took out an arrow and slowly reached the tip out to the women. It started to scratch against something then it started to melt. "What the...?"
"I don't think even you could stand that heat." Mira looked in to Kayura and locked eyes with her sister. They didn't say a word and the other two in the room just shrugged.
***
They came at each other with swords flying. They could clash then jump back and do the whole routine over and over again. One of them would swipe and the other would block. One would get the upper hand then would fall. The fight ranged all over the lover levels of the castle and rocked it at its base with each blow to its structure. Neither woman seemed to wish to stop and their swordplay escalated to even more dangerous levels. They finally came together at the foot of the stairs and stared each other down.
"Come one Royda," Tyra said, "save us both the trouble and just join me."
"And have to live with you?" she asked. "I might have lived with Reva and Kala for over 400 years but that's going to be nothing compared to eternity with you." With all her might, she pushed her back.
"I'm hurt now, Ro-chan," sarcasm dripping from her words as she landed a few feet away. "Makes me really wonder what they've done to you."
"Don't worry about me, Ty-chan. You'll get hurt more if you stick around."
Both women looked up as if a sound went off. In a way it did. Magic was thick upstairs, in the direction of Tyra's throne room. The Empress' face turned ugly with rage and turned on Royda. She knew what they were up to.
"You have demoted yourself into being a mere distraction for me?! Oh, Ro-chan I expected so much more!!"
"Sorry to disappoint you."
"Oh, I am very disappointed. You'll have to see just how disappointed I am. Nobody leaves until the whole thing is finished!!"
Her face had transformed into a face of a lunatic, calling upon all the powers that she knew. The whole castle shook and wood began to splinter at the massive energy. Royda avoided falling beams and silently prayed that they were all already out before she did her final attack. She searched for a second for that familiar presence of family and found no trace.
"You're not the only one
who's going to throw a tantrum."