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. This chapter will pump things up a notch—and begin to reveal Riona’s true intentions.

Chapter 3: Kidnapped!

The next morning, the Ronin Warriors and friends were busy discussing the attack from that night. After so many years of peace, they had never expected another threat like this. They were concerned about the soldiers that had attacked them. The Dynasty was gone—so that meant that a new enemy had emerged. But who was this enemy? Who could have sent those soldiers, and what were they planning? There were so many unanswered questions and so little time left. This new enemy would certainly attack again, but there was no telling when or where the attack would occur. Kento pounded his fists on the table in frustration.

“Man, I can’t stand not knowin’ what we’re up against!” he shouted. “How are we supposed to fight an enemy if we don’t know who he is!”

“Calm down, Kento,” Sage told him. “We’re all frustrated right now, but getting upset isn’t going to help anything.”

“Well…what are we supposed to do, Sage?” Ryo asked, equally upset. “Just sit around and wait for them to come after us?”

“Right now, it doesn’t look like we ‘ave much choice,” Cye answered him. “Without knowin’ what we’re up against, we have no idea what to expect. I think we should be prepared for the worst.”

“Cye is right,” Mia spoke up. “Those soldiers were much stronger than the Dynasty Soldiers. It’s safe to assume that whoever sent them must be powerful as well.”

“Those soldiers were really scary, Mia,” Yulie said as he clung to her side. “Do you think we can beat them?”

“‘Course we can, Yulie!” Ryo assured him. “There’s no way we’re gonna let those creeps win. Just leave everything to us.”

“Still, it would be nice to know more about who sent those soldiers,” Rowen spoke up. “But I’m sure we’ll find out more in time.”

They had no idea just how soon they would meet their new enemy, or what would happen at the next battle…

Riona closed her spell book after a long study session. She smiled at having successfully memorizing a new spell. Now she was one step closer to her goal. The more spells she learned, and the more powerful the spells, the better chance she had of succeeding.

Her topaz began glowing, quickly bringing Riona from her thoughts. Sapheem was calling her again. She quickly moved to her viewing bowl as Sapheem’s image appeared in the liquid.

“You wish to see me, Lord Sapheem?” she asked politely.

“Indeed, Riona. Is the cell ready for our guest?” Sapheem asked.

“All is ready as you asked, my master.”

“Excellent,” he replied with an evil smile. “I will be traveling to Earth to carry out my plans. I want you to wait in the dungeon for my return. I will need your ‘assistance’ with our prisoner.”

Riona bowed. “I will be awaiting your return, my lord.”

The image faded and Riona returned to her desk. She placed a hand on her spell book as a sad look crossed her face. She hated the thought of Sapheem capturing one of the Ronin Warriors, but there was nothing she could do for now. She returned the spell book to its place on her bookshelf and left her bedroom for the dungeon.

Sapheem appeared in a large tree outside of the mansion. He could see the Ronin Warriors inside, talking among themselves. Another evil smile crossed his face.

“Those fools have no idea what is about to happen,” he muttered to himself. “Those pathetic young fools.”

He closed his eyes and concentrated his thoughts on a powerful spell—the same spell he had used to summon the first group of Dark Soldiers. The sky darkened and thunder rumbled. Sapheem opened his eyes and smiled as more soldiers appeared outside the front of the mansion. They began meticulously approaching the mansion. Sapheem made sure that he was well hidden from view.

“Let’s see them get out of this,” Sapheem mumbled.

Hearing the noise the Ronins transformed into their base armor and raced outside. They stopped as they saw more Dark Soldiers approaching—many more Dark Soldiers than before.

“Looks like our friends are back,” Sage said as Mia and Yulie came to the front door.

“Ohh! Be careful, you guys!” Mia called to them.

“Don’t worry about us, Mia. You and Yulie just get away from here. We don’t want you two to get hurt,” Ryo told her.

“Go get ‘em, Ryo!” Yulie cheered as he and Mia returned inside.

The Dark Soldiers charged the Ronin Warriors. Whiteblaze barreled straight into the group, roaring loudly. Ryo and the others joined in. It quickly became apparent that the soldiers were far more organized this time. The warriors found the battle much harder than before. The soldiers quickly began to surround the house—some were even trying to get inside. The boys soon worried for Mia and Yulie’s safety.

“Looks like these guys are much smarter than that bunch last night,” Rowen commented.

“How are we supposed to beat them?” Cye asked, starting to sound nervous.

“Split up and take ‘em down, guys!” Ryo called to the group. “Whatever you do, don’t let them get to Mia and Yulie.”

The boys branched out, fighting their way through soldiers along every step. Rowen, seeing some Dark Soldiers headed into the house, decided to run in and help protect his friends. Whiteblaze appeared near him, growling at the soldiers before him.

“Come on, Whiteblaze. We’ve got to help Mia and Yulie,” Rowen said to the tiger. Whiteblaze roared and followed Rowen inside.

Sapheem watched with interest as the battle unfolded below him. He was hoping to split up the Ronin Warriors and make it easier to capture Rowen of the Strata. Sapheem’s smile widened as he saw Rowen and Whiteblaze enter the mansion alone. Using the other two humans to bait the Ronins into separating was a brilliant tactic. Now all his Dark Soldiers needed to do was get Rowen off by himself…

“Yulie, run!” Mia screamed as she pulled the young boy out the back door. Several Dark Soldiers followed closely behind them, groaning and wielding their weapons. The frightened woman and boy ran as fast as they could to get away from the soldiers.

“Ryo! Someone! Help us!” Yulie screamed, but his yell went unheard.

More soldiers appeared in front of them, blocking their escape. Mia and Yulie screamed as the soldiers charged them. A loud roar echoed through the woods, and Whiteblaze quickly tackled the soldiers behind them.

“Mia! Yulie! Look out!” Rowen yelled. He leapt through the air and drop kicked the soldiers before them. Whiteblaze appeared by their side as more soldiers appeared before them.

“Rowen, look out!” Mia warned.

“Mia, you and Yulie go with Whiteblaze. I’ll handle these guys,” Rowen told her without taking his eyes from the soldiers.

“ But Rowen, you can’t fight them alone! That’s too dangerous!” Mia said.

“I’ll be fine! Just go! Whiteblaze, get them out of here!”

Whiteblaze growled and quickly carried Mia and Yulie away while Rowen faced down the Dark Soldiers.

Perfect, Sapheem thought to himself. Now, I’ll strike! My ‘pet’ will help me catch him!

Sapheem once again called on his arcane magic and began chanting a powerful spell…

Rowen fought hard against the Dark Soldiers. “Bring it on, you tin-heads! You’re not beatin’ me!” he taunted.

All at once, the soldiers halted their advance. Black smoke surrounded and enveloped them, contorting in a bizarre fashion. Rowen watched in confusion as the smoke began to take a new form. A low growl came from the smoke that sent shivers down Rowen’s spine. The smoke stopped moving, and Rowen stared in both awe and horror at the new creature before him. The creature resembled an enormous panther, but its body seemed to be little more than smoke and shadows. It glared at him through two bright yellow eyes that glowed with an evil energy. It snarled again, showing a set of razor sharp teeth. The more he stared at it, the more terrified Rowen became. This creature simply radiated evil.

Rowen slowly started to back away, unsure of what this…this thing…would do. He was beginning to regret the decision to split up. The ‘shadowcat’ roared suddenly, and a wave of panic overcame all of Rowen’s common sense. All thoughts about what this creature was or what it wanted fled, leaving only an overwhelming fear unlike anything Rowen had ever felt before.

Rowen turned and started to run, but the shadowcat was too fast. In a matter of moments, it pounced on Rowen and knocked him to the ground. His terror-stricken mind could only think to flee, but the shadowcat had him pinned down. He screamed for help, but his friends were too far away to hear him. Besides that, they were still distracted fighting the Dark Soldiers.

Sapheem materialized before Rowen, wearing a wicked grin. Rowen looked up at the sorcerer, and a small bit of reason in him realized that this man was responsible for the attacks. Sapheem laughed wickedly as he pulled a small bag out of his pocket. He opened the bag and slowly poured a magic powder on Rowen’s head. Rowen shook his head as drowsiness began to overtake him. Within moments, Rowen was unconscious.

“Well done, my pet,” Sapheem told the shadowcat. “Time to confront his friends and return home. I want them to realize how foolish they’ve been to underestimate my power.”

“Take that, you tin-heads!” Ryo yelled as he defeated two more Dark Soldiers.

The other soldiers backed away and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Ryo quickly joined his friends in front of the mansion. He was starting to worry about the soldiers’ sudden disappearance.

“You guys okay?” Ryo asked as Sage, Cye, and Kento ran up.

“Yeah, we’re okay,” Sage answered, “but…where’s Rowen?”

Whiteblaze roared as he ran up to the group. Mia and Yulie were still riding on his back.

“Mia, Yulie, have you guys seen Rowen?” Kento asked them.

“He came to help us when some Dark Soldiers chased us behind the house, but I haven’t seen him since Whiteblaze carried us away,” Mia told them.

“Something doesn’t feel right,” Sage spoke. “I think those soldiers were sent to split us up. They put up a much better fight than last night.”

“Do you think Rowen is in trouble?” Yulie asked.

Sapheem’s evil laughter rang through the air. The Ronin Warriors all looked around frantically, trying to figure out where the voice was coming from.

“Sounds like more company,” Cye said.

“Brilliant deduction, young man. It’s a shame you boys couldn’t figure out my plan sooner,” Sapheem’s voice echoed. More laughter followed the statement.

“Who are you, and what do you want from us! Show yourself!” Ryo demanded.

Sapheem suddenly appeared on the roof of the mansion. The Ronins all turned to him. They could all feel the evil power that radiated from him. He wore a cocky grin on his face.

“We finally meet, Ronin Warriors. My name is Sapheem. I am the ruler of a separate dimension, and I plan to conquer this world as well.”

“You’ll have to get through us first!” Kento yelled back.

Sapheem chuckled. “Oh, but I’ve all ready defeated you. Those Dark Soldiers were just a small sample of my power. As you have guessed, the first set was merely to test your skills. I must say, you all put up an impressive display. This group of soldiers was only meant to separate you. I’m surprised that the so-called ‘guardians of Earth’ would fall for such a plot.”

“Enough talking! If you came here for a fight, then fight us now!” Ryo ordered.

“I didn’t come here for a fight—at least not today. I merely needed something from you to boost my own power, but soon…very soon…you shall see my full powers,” Sapheem taunted.

“What do you mean you ‘needed something from us’?” Mia asked. “What have you done?”

Sapheem’s smile broadened into a wicked grin. “I have all I need to defeat you now…thanks to help from a close friend of yours.” Sapheem moved to one side as his shadowcat stepped into view—carrying an unconscious Rowen on its back. There was a collective gasp as the Ronins looked on in horror.

“Rowen!” Sage exclaimed.

“That’s a cheap move, you monster!” Kento yelled.

Sapheem scoffed at him. “Perhaps it is…but you friend Rowen of the Strata is of great use to me. With his power added to my own, I will conquer your world and destroy you all!”

“You won’t get away with this, Sapheem! Let him go now!” Ryo demanded angrily.

Sapheem laughed at him. “Save your breath, Ryo of the Wildfire. Your only hope of defeating me would be to use your so-called ‘White Armor of Inferno’, but without your friend that will be quite impossible. Prepare yourselves, Ronin Warriors, for I shall return for your armors soon enough!” Still laughing wickedly, Sapheem disappeared--taking Rowen and the shadowcat with him.

“No, Rowen!” Cye called after him, but it was too late. Rowen was gone—a captive of the wicked sorcerer Sapheem.

“This isn’t good, you guys,” Sage said. “That guy knew way too much about us. How did he know about the Armor of Inferno, and why did he take Rowen?”

“Who cares about that, Sage!” Kento returned. “The only thing that matters is gettin’ Rowen back and beatin’ the stuffing out of that Sapheem guy!”

“It’s not going to be that easy, Kento,” Cye admonished. “This Sapheem lives in another dimension, and ‘e obviously ‘as some serious powers. We don’t even know where Rowen is, so there’s no way to rescue him. We have to come up with a plan first.”

Ryo stood quietly simmering. He couldn’t believe Sapheem had fooled them so easily. Even worse, he had kidnapped Rowen and taken him who knows where. There was no telling what Sapheem was planning to do to him. Ryo could only hope they could rescue Rowen before anything really terrible happened.

“Come on, you guys,” Ryo spoke. “Let’s go inside. We need to prepare for another battle.”

Everyone slowly filed inside the mansion, their thoughts staying with their captured friend. Ryo paused at the door and looked back up to the sky.

Hang in there, Rowen, he thought. We’re gonna get you out of there.

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