Dark Warlord Chronicles

Deception of the Soul

Part 11
"A Deception of the Soul"

Cold water hit his face without a shiver or the slightest hint of rejection. The man groaned as he gazed up to the mirror before the sink. Why am I here? Why do I trust so much? Do I dare abandon one master for another? The ends of his blue bangs were dampened by the water. The feeling from before only faded a bit but was still there. Cale reached for a face cloth that was nearby.
He could hear whispers from the TV in the front room. It still wasn't good news. The other Ronins had made it to New York and tried to fight the Halo armor as it destroyed the city. The government had sent helicopters to shoot down all of them. Halo merely raised its no-datchi and caused the aircraft to swerve and crash into buildings. They were all wanted now for the sake that they wore mystical armor.
"Where is Sage?" Cale wondered again to himself. His thoughts returned to a previous conclusion, that he was dead. Even the Warlord couldn't make himself believe it. Still how could the Armor of Halo run around destroying New York with no Sage in sight?
"Oh great." He heard Sekhmet say. Cale opened the door and walked to the front room to see the other Warlord on the blue couch with TV remote in hand.
"Dare I ask what now?"
"Halo."
Cale decided to sit. "Are the other Ronins okay?"
"They haven't been caught, but Halo... has now appeared in California in Little Tokyo." He paused. "It just destroyed a parade there, and everyone who was marching in it were killed."
Cale groaned and sank his head down. Where is Sage?! Kayura walked into the room, her presence made known by the familiar chime of her staff. The Warlords looked up.
"Something new is coming. I fear though it will not happen around here."
"New York isn't looking too good. Now Little Tokyo in California."
"California?" Kayura looked with a mix of curiosity and worry in her blue eyes at Sekhmet.
"Yeah."
"I think we should go there to help."
Kayura turned her gaze to the other Warlord. She had rarely seen the Warlords outside of fighting, but he still looked rather worried to her.
"Well it's better than sitting here." Cale defended himself. Now it was untrue to say that they didn't do anything. Unacera insisted they all practice fighting or do something constructive each day. Still Cale was unsure whether to really trust Unacera. She had said how she hesitated. Is this all a conspiracy? The only reason I trust Unacera is because Kayura trusts her.
"Well if you insist to going to America.." She paused almost dramatically. "..then I have to stay here."
"What?!" The Warlords said together.
"I'm not leaving the Nether Realm unguarded. I only agreed to come here because we were close to there. That and I felt I had to do something to begin to repay the centuries of silence between the druids and ancients."
There goes my reason. Cale thought to himself.
"I'll return to the Nether Realm and watch around here while you go to America. Unacera will help you when you need it."
If we can trust her.
He looked around the strange new room. It was dark, only lit by four candles, two in the middle of the room and one at both front corners. The man stood between the two candles in the middle. He moved his toes again, trying to get used to this new strange thing. Suddenly a form appeared before him. The man bowed in respect to the strange new face.
"Dais. As my new Dark Warlord you must prove your loyalty to me, and your worth, to keep your new armor."
"Yes Master."
"This shall prove your first test, something you need to use the power of your armor."
As the man bowed he felt something strange. Shadow forms of spiders crawled up his new green bicolor body armor. They crawled up to his head, through his curly white hair, and on his face. Then they walked over his left eye, spinning a strange thread. Dais gasped, wondering what was going on. Then it stopped and the strange shadows vanished. He noticed what had happened but still reached to feel. There was an eye patch over that eye.
"You must wear this all the time or else you shall never be able to use the powers of your armor. Never take it off. This is your first test as my Warlord of Illusion Dais. I hope you don't disappoint me."
"I shall serve you well Master Talpa." He bowed a little lower.
He was in his new room again later during the night, lying in his bedroll. I hate this. This damn patch. It's so annoying. I can't see anymore out of my left eye. I have such a blind spot. He reached for the black string, wanting to pull it off. Just a little bit. Just enough off to see out of my eye a little. Like he'll notice. Dais convinced himself so much that he did it. As he saw a little light out of his left eye, the form of Talpa's head appeared. The Dark Warlord was surprised. He stopped, stood, and bowed. "Master Talpa! I.."
"How dare you disobey my command!" His eyes glowed red and unleashed its power on the man. He cringed and held his arms crossed over his chest. The pain flooded through every muscle in his body. It continued with unimaginable agony. All that kept the lashes of power from tearing the majority of his skin apart was a simple kimono.
"Please Master! Forgive me!" He held back a scream by biting his lip. Dais' teeth dug deeper and soon he tasted his own blood.
"Do not disobey me ever again Dais!" The vision vanished and Dais stumbled to the ground, gasping for breath. He raised his hand to his lips and, as he thought, red blood covered his fingers.
I've never taken it off ever since that day. I was too afraid of the punishment that Talpa would give me. After a while I believed that I needed the patch, and I grew used to it. I never thought to remove it. The strings of the patch came apart even more as the Warlord examined it in his hand. He was amazed that he could still see out of his left eye. His vision was well as before he got the patch. The same sight that helped him to hit a far away target perfectly with his arrows. Dais shook his head, the effects of the drugs still there. Stop! Stop! His crystal blue eyes looked around him again. Mekira and the raven were still out. A few yards away he saw the elf and the Dragon Demon fighting each other. Who do I trust? The person who could tell me is out. What do I do? Suddenly it came to his mind again.
"Only when you accept this will you begin to understand everything. With that understanding you'll reach a new inner peace, and your serenity kanji will help you more than you ever thought."
My kanji! Dais closed his eyes and focused on it. A glow appeared and a symbol was seen on his forehead. "I've had enough of this deception of my soul!" He stood, the remains of the black patch falling to the ground. The Warlord focused his energy and took a deep breath.
The elf took a chance and looked out the corner of her silver eyes at the man. She sensed him calling on the power, but feared the Dragon Demon would sense it too. I have to distract it. Give him some time. She turned back to the demon and unleashed her attack cry again. She timed it exactly as the white haired man was about to go forth with his plan. "Pheonix Song Sing," Fealina cried again as she attacked the demon.
"Armor of Illusion! Tao Heisei!" He stretched out his green body armor covered arms before him, the left above the right. The arms were in a gripping gesture as if a ball was between them instead of open air. A purplish pink light exploded around his hands and between them. Some of it spread out in rays and danced around him in the darkness. He felt the air waver and the warmth grow around him. Suddenly Dais could sense the season of summer around him. The light came, the same color as the light on his hands, all around him. Small green leaves fell down around him along with water droplets. The leaves and droplets magically transformed and circulated around his foot, forming the armor. Then came the knee armor followed by lower arm and wrist. The waist, shoulder and upper body armor formed together. Then he reached out and held a large water droplet in his cupped hands. As he raised them over his head, it popped and formed his helmet immediately. Dais placed it on his head and banished the white face guard. It ended with six leaves that fell behind his back and formed into the deadly scythes of his naginata weapon.
The scene faded to the former one. The elf fell from her levitated position after a hit from the demon. Her light green hair spilled on the ground and over the multicolored leaves. She turned quickly, looking frantically to see what the Dragon Demon was up to.
He's distracted. They're both distracted. Dais began in a run around them, using his illusionary powers to cover the sound of his footsteps. He ran as fast as he could until he reached a good position. Dais reached for his morning star and threw it at a high tree branch. The man jumped and used the morning star to swing around, and land upside down on the sturdy branch. His knees, after several times of usage of the move, naturally went in place on top of it. He pulled off the naginata weapon on his back as his body went backwards a bit. Dais closed his eyes again as he started to swing back forward. He focused on his kanji again. Armor of Illusion. Please guide me with your serenity kanji. The six scythes extended as he unleashed that power. "Web of Deception!" The six stretched out in different directions, forming a circle of area as they landed. Each area that they landed on exploded in power. Dais could feel it, trying to control it. Don't damage the innocent. Don't destroy the beauty of the land. Just guide me and do away with my true enemy. The feeling of summer filled him again, the magic of his armor unlike he knew before.
Dais opened his crystal blue eyes as he sensed the attack had faded. He placed back his naginata and fell to the ground landing on his feet, replacing the morning star. His gaze fell on what remained for it was the real truth. There was no more doubt left in his mind. He let out a large sigh and collapsed to the ground as the man felt drained from the release of power.

To Be Continued...