The Dark Sorcerer
A Ronin Warrior fan fiction by Rapndash.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Ronin Warriors or any of its characters. Only Sapheem, Riona, and Riona’s pets are mine. Hope you enjoy my story. My fiancé may be writing a spin-off to my story later, but it is uncertain at this point. I all ready have ideas for a sequel. Please read and review.
Riona walked silently down the hall toward Sapheem’s personal chambers. She ran her delicate fingers through her long, brown hair, wondering what kind of task her master had for her. Riona was a beautiful young woman about the same age as the Ronin Warriors. She wore blue and gold robes similar to Sapheem’s, and she also had a necklace containing a large gold topaz. Her deep blue eyes shown with life and excitement—nothing like her master. Riona had been Sapheem’s apprentice since she was a little girl. After losing her parents, Riona had taken an interest in magic. Sapheem had seen her potential and talent as a sorcerer, so he offered to tutor her in the ways of magic. Riona readily agreed, anxious to learn all that she could from the powerful mage. But her intentions were far different from her master’s…
Riona soon reached Sapheem’s chambers and quickly entered. Sapheem still stood in front of his mirror, completely absorbed in it’s reflection. “You called me, master?” she asked with a respectful bow.
Sapheem turned to her and smiled. “Indeed, my pupil. I am pleased by your hasty arrival. I have a very important task for you.”
Riona bowed again. “I will serve you faithfully, my master. Tell me, what task do you need me to complete?”
Sapheem turned back toward the mirror and beckoned for her to join him. Riona strolled swiftly to the mirror and peered at its surface. “During my observations of planet Earth, I have discovered five young humans who appear to posses great power.”
He waved his hand and the image changed to show the Ronin Warriors gathered around the dinning table. They chatted amiably together and ate happily. Riona was quick to notice the large white tiger curled up at the feet of a man with long black hair. It was a beautiful animal, but Riona quickly pushed the thought away lest she get distracted.
“If I am to conquer Earth, I wish to know what forces may try to oppose me. I want you to go to Earth and learn more about these five young men and their powers. I plan to send some ‘creations’ of mine to test them in battle. Watch them carefully, and report back to me as soon as the battle has ended. Are my orders clear?”
“Yes, my lord,” Riona answered. “I shall travel to Earth at once and return to you with all the information I learn.”
Sapheem smiled evilly and nodded. “Very good, my apprentice. You are dismissed.”
Riona bowed once more and quickly left the room. She walked swiftly down the hall to another chamber and paused.
“Sharpeyes, come quickly my pet.” Out of the darkness, a large hawk flew down and landed on Riona’s shoulder. He screeched a greeting as she stroked his feathered head. Riona had cared for Sharpeyes since he was a little chick, and he now served as her familiar. Sapheem didn’t like animals in the least, but he tolerated the bird’s presence so long as it didn’t interfere with his work. Riona generally only called her friend when she needed him.
“Nightshade, we have work to do.” There was a low growl and an enormous black wolf stepped from the shadows. He walked over to his master and rubbed against her side. Nightshade had also been with Riona from a young age, but—unlike Sharpeyes—he was far from welcome in Sapheem’s castle. Riona was careful to keep the wolf hidden from her master.
Riona chanted a simple gate spell that would open a portal leading to Earth. She finished the spell and a glowing doorway appeared before her. Riona climbed onto Nightshade’s back while Sharpeyes remained on his master’s shoulder. “Let’s go, boys. We have a job to do.” With a growl, Nightshade leapt through the portal and landed lightly on the other side. Riona closed the portal behind them and looked around to get her bearings.
They were standing on a small cliff deep inside the woods. She could see smoke rising in the distance. “Head toward the smoke, Nightshade. Their house must be that way.” She told him as she pointed in the direction of the smoke. Nightshade gave a short bark and bounded off toward the mansion.
The Ronin Warriors were busy enjoying their dinner, completely unaware of Sapheem’s plans. Kento was grumbling about losing the race to Cye, who continued to remind him that the bet had been his idea. Ryo watched and listened to all of this stoically. His thoughts from earlier lingered in his mind. Whiteblaze looked up at his master from his place on the floor. Ryo’s silence worried him, but there was little he could do to cheer his friend up.
Sage noticed Ryo’s mood, too. “Hey, Ryo. You’re awfully quiet tonight. What’s on your mind?”
Ryo came out of his thoughts as the others turned to look at him. “Oh…I’m all right, Sage. I was just thinking about the future. It’s been four years since we’ve beaten Talpa, and…I just feel like I haven’t done much with my life.”
“I guess you’re right, Ryo,” Rowen said. “Sage and I were discussing the same thing earlier. Time sure flies, doesn’t it? There’s not much to do without the threat of the Dynasty upon us.”
“Hey, that’s what Cye and me were talkin’ about, too,” Kento spoke up. “Crazy how things turn out. Four years and none of us even have a girlfriend yet. It’s a shame we don’t know any cute girls our age.”
Cye laughed. “Still on that, are you? I guess we all need to get out more. We’ll never meet anyone just ‘anging out around ‘ere.”
They all laughed. Suddenly, a clap of lightning interrupted their fun. Everyone became quiet suddenly and looked outside.
“That’s strange,” Mia said as she moved to the window. “There’s not a cloud in the sky, and it isn’t supposed to rain today.”
There was another round of thunder as the sky grew even darker outside. Whiteblaze stood and growled angrily. Ryo eyes narrowed. He could feel an ominous presence approaching them.
“Looks like we may have company, guys,” he said.
The warriors and Whiteblaze ran outside as dark clouds began to form along the ground near the edge of the forest. Instinctively, they all switched to their basic armor, preparing for a fight. Strange black lightning bolts jumped between the clouds.
“Looks like trouble guys,” Sage said.
“Well if it’s a fight they want, then a fight is what they’ll get,” Kento declared.
“Do you think the Dynasty is back?” Rowen asked.
As if in response, several bolts of lightning struck the ground around them, forming an electrical field. Dark shapes began to form within the field. The lightning vanished and the warriors were startled by what they saw. The dark figures creeping toward them were nothing like the Dynasty Soldiers. They looked more like medieval knights with black armor and blank white eyes. They moaned loudly and began to stalk toward the Ronin Warriors. They all carried either swords or spears, and they appeared to be well prepared for a good fight.
“Well it’s definitely not the Dynasty,” Sage said.
Whiteblaze roared at the soldiers, ready to protect his friends.
“What are those things, anyway?” Cye asked.
“I don’t know, but whatever they are, we’ve got to stop them,” Ryo answered. They all readied themselves to fight off the new threat.
Sharpeyes sat on the railing of the mansion’s balcony, watching the Ronins carefully. Riona had sent him ahead to scout things out. He had been watching them during dinner, and listening to their conversation. He would keep Riona informed on the battle’s progress.
Riona meanwhile remained hidden in the woods with Nightshade. They couldn’t get too close without drawing attention to themselves. While Sharpeyes was watching the warriors, Riona cast another spell that would allow her to read their thoughts and learn more about them. She was amazed to learn that they had all ready defeated a powerful enemy and saved Earth only a few years earlier. They were around her age, but they were all skilled warriors. Even the tiger, Whiteblaze, had his own armor. Once the battle was over, Riona would need to report back to Sapheem with what she found out. At the same time, she was hoping that these five warriors would be able to help her with her own plans.
“Let’s see how well they do against Sapheem’s Dark Soldiers,” Riona whispered to Nightshade. “Perhaps they are the ones we need to accomplish our goal.”
Nightshade growled quietly in agreement. Riona returned to her observations. She was certain Sapheem would allow them to win. After all, the battle was only meant to test their fighting skills and learn their powers. Still, Riona secretly hoped they would succeed. If they were as powerful as they seemed, they just might be powerful enough to…no. She had to banish such thoughts from her head. If Sapheem ever learned her true purpose, all those years of training and planning would go up in smoke. She needed to be very careful…
The Dark Soldiers began to close in on the Ronin Warriors. Everyone tensed and readied themselves for the inevitable battle. Whiteblaze roared again and charged the soldiers. A couple of the soldiers swung their weapons at the tiger, but Whiteblaze easily dodged them and pounced on the nearest soldier. Black smoke hissed from the armor and the soldier faded into darkness. Whiteblaze continued his assault as the other soldiers charged the Ronins.
“Come on, guys! Let’s show them the power of the Ronin Warriors!” Ryo yelled.
They all jumped to dodge the spears that had been thrown at them and struck back against their attackers. Ryo did a mid-air flip and kicked one soldier in the head. The soldier fell back as a second one charged Ryo, sword first. Ryo dodged to one side and grabbed the soldier’s arm. With a mighty heave, Ryo swung the soldier over his head and into a group of Dark Soldiers.
“Yeah. Now this is what I’m talkin’ about!” Kento cheered. He easily lifted a Dark Soldier over his head and threw him to the ground. More black smoke streamed out as the soldier faded away. Kento eagerly plowed into the group of soldiers, fighting his way through them.
Sage barely avoided a swing from a soldier’s sword as he quickly disarmed his attacker. Taking the sword into his own hands, Sage sliced straight through three soldiers that had surrounded him—sending them back into the shadows. Sage jumped up high and threw the sword into another soldier, slicing him clear in half. He landed directly behind Rowen who was fighting off more soldiers.
Rowen looked over his shoulder at Sage and grinned. “How ‘bout we show these guys how it’s done?” he said to him.
Sage returned Rowen’s smile. “Sounds good to me. Let’s do it!”
Soldiers on either side of them charge forward, weapons drawn. The two men leapt into the air causing the soldiers to impale each other. Sage and Rowen kicked off from each other and landed back in the group of soldiers—kicking and punching their way through.
Cye punched a Dark Soldier directly in the face and sent him flying backwards. A second soldier rushed forward and attempted to bring his spear down on Cye’s head. Cye caught the spear just before it hit. He struggled against the soldiers strength as his assailant continued to applied tremendous force behind his weapon. Cye was surprised by the Dark Soldier’s strength. These soldiers were much stronger than the Dynasty Soldiers. Cye couldn’t hold off the attack much longer, but he knew a way to turn the situation to his advantage. Cye rolled to one side and used the momentum of the spear to turn it sideways and upwards—successfully slicing up through the soldier. Cye took the spear from the disappearing soldier and used it to defeat more soldiers gathered around him.
The five Ronin Warriors and Whiteblaze gathered together once more as they continued to face their attackers. All at once, the soldiers halted their advance. The Ronins watched as the Dark Soldiers began to back away from them.
“What’s going on?” Ryo asked.
“I’m not sure…but I think they’re retreating,” Sage answered.
More black smoke appeared around the Dark Soldiers and then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the smoke and the soldiers were gone. The Ronin Warriors relaxed as both relief and confusion washed over them. Whiteblaze roared once more into the clearing night sky.
“Hey, why’d they disappear?” Kento asked.
“I’ve got a bad feeling about all of this, guys,” Rowen told everyone. “Those soldiers went down a little too easy. I think someone is just testing us.”
“You’re probably right, Rowen, but who sent them?” Sage asked.
“I’m sure we’ll find out sooner or later guys,” Ryo said. “Let’s go back inside and make sure Mia and Yulie are okay.”
The Ronin Warriors switched back to their normal clothes and headed inside. Ryo couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was watching them. Whoever sent those soldiers would certainly strike again. They had to prepare for the worst.
So much for peace, Ryo thought to himself.
Sharpeyes waited until all of the Ronins and Whiteblaze had all gone inside before he flew off into the woods. He quickly joined Riona and Nightshade in their hiding place. Riona had just finished her mind-reading spell, and she now had all the information she needed about the Ronin Warriors. Sharpeyes landed on Riona’s shoulder and screeched a greeting. She turned to him and smiled.
“Well done, my pet. Now that we have all the information we need. Let’s head home.”
She summoned another gate back to Sapheem’s castle and rode Nightshade back through the portal.
Sapheem banished the image from his mirror. He was pleased with the results of the battle. “These ‘Ronin Warriors’ are more powerful than I thought. Hmmm…perhaps I can use their power to my advantage.”
The door opened and Riona entered the chambers. She had all ready sent Sharpeyes and Nightshade back into hiding. She bowed respectfully.
“I have returned from the battle, my master, and I have much to report,” Riona saluted.
Sapheem smiled evilly. “Very good, Riona. What have you learned about the Ronin Warriors?”
Riona summoned a crystal orb between them, and an image began to form within it. Soon, they were looking at a picture of Ryo.
“This human is called Ryo of the Wildfire. From my observations, he appears to be the leader of the group. His red armor draws on the power of fire and heat. He fights using twin swords. While wearing his armor, he can even survive being in lava. He also owns a white tiger named Whiteblaze. This tiger appears to posses magic armor as well. I also learned that all five Ronin Warriors can give their powers to Ryo, allowing him to call on another set of armor called the White Armor of Inferno—but they must combine all five armors to use it.”
“Interesting,” Sapheem muttered. The image in the orb changed to show the next warrior.
“This one is called Sage of the Halo,” Riona continued. “He has green armor that draws power from light. His sword can send lightning bolts to destroy his enemies. His armor also allows him to heal wounds.”
The image changed again. This time, Cye’s image appeared within. “This one is Cye of the Torrent. His light blue armor is most powerful in water. He can swim in the strongest of currents and purify the foulest waters. He fires a powerful water beam from his spear.”
Kento’s face appeared in the orb next. “The human with orange armor is Kento of Hardrock. He is the strongest physically of the Ronin Warriors. His staff’s attack can blast craters and fissures in the ground. He also appears to throw himself into a fight with little thought to safety or strategy.”
The orb changed one last time, revealing Rowen’s image. “Finally, this human is called Rowen of the Strata. His dark blue and gold armor allows him to fly for brief periods of time. He fights using a bow and arrows that can charge with a powerful beam of energy. Rowen is also considered to be the most dangerous of the Ronin Warriors.”
The last line piqued Sapheem’s interest. “This Rowen of the Strata is the most dangerous? Why is that so?”
Riona dismissed the orb and replied, “Because Rowen is the most intelligent of the Ronin Warriors. He is the one who likes to use brilliant strategies to defeat his enemies. I estimate that Rowen’s intelligence is way above normal human intelligence.”
Sapheem smiled once more and scratched his chin. “How very intriguing. What of the other humans residing with the Ronins? Are they of any concern?”
Riona shook her head. “The woman and young boy with them have no powers of their own. They are merely friends and of no threat to us.”
“I see.” Sapheem pondered the new information carefully. His smile widened. “I believe I know just how to defeat them. I have another task for you, Riona.”
Riona bowed. “I live to serve you, master. I shall do whatever you ask of me.”
“The plan shall be simple, my pupil,” Sapheem explained. “I shall simply capture one of the warriors and use his power to increase my own. With him as my hostage, the others will fall quickly and easily.”
“Very good, Lord Sapheem,” Riona replied respectfully. “Which one shall you take…and how shall I aid you?”
Sapheem returned to his mirror, still wearing the same evil smile. “I believe the one called Rowen will be the best choice. His high intelligence will be of the most use to me. Prepare a holding cell for our new ‘guest’. I plan to send more Dark Soldiers to separate the Ronin Warriors tomorrow. Then I’ll make my move to capture Rowen.”
“As you wish, master,” Riona said with a low bow. She left the room and made her way toward the dungeon. Inwardly, Riona felt a little bad about Sapheem’s plan. The Ronin Warriors seemed to be such nice young men. She was hoping to use them for her own plans. Perhaps she could still turn this to her advantage. Sapheem would be more distracted by the new ‘addition’ to the castle, which would give Riona more time for planning and preparation. She smiled to herself. Sapheem had no idea what was coming to him.
What could Riona be planning? You’ll find out more as the story progresses. I had a dream about Rowen being captured by a Sorcerer and decided it would make a cool fan fic. Hope you enjoy the next chapter. Please read and review.
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